title: Relationship of Internet addiction with impulsivity and severity of psychopathology among Turkish university students.
abstract: The previous studies have found a relationship between IA and both impulsivity and psychopathology when they were considered separately. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of Internet addiction (IA) with impulsivity and severity of psychopathology among Turkish university students. We also wanted to control the effect of impulsivity dimensions on the relationship between IA and psychopathology. A total of 319 university students from two universities in Ankara participated to the study. Students were assessed through the Internet Addiction Scale (IAS), the Symptom Checklist-Revised (SCL-90-R) and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). Correlational analyses revealed that severity of IA was related to both SCL-90-R and BIS-11 scores. Among SCL-90-R subscales, severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) was the only predictor for IAS score. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that interpersonal sensitivity, additional to attentional and motor impulsiveness, was the predictor of IAS score. Although severity of IA is associated with wide range of psychopathology, particularly OCS, interpersonal sensitivity seems to be the main dimension that predict severity of IAS additional to impulsiveness (attentional and motor). Impulsivity seems to be an important construct when considering IA and its treatment among Turkish university students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Turgut Ozal University, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: edalbudak@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ercan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dalbudak
authors.forename: Cuneyt
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Evren
authors.forename: Merve
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Topcu
authors.forename: Secil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aldemir
authors.forename: Kerem Senol
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Coskun
authors.forename: Muge
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
authors.forename: Bilge
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Evren
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canbal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D020407:Internet; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011599:Psychopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Impulsivity; Internet addiction; Psychopathology; University students