title: Comorbidity of psychiatric disorders with Internet addiction in a clinical sample: the effect of personality, defense style and psychopathology.
abstract: This study aims to contribute to the understanding of underlying causes for the development of Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) and assess comorbidity with other mental disorders through the analysis of data from a clinical sample of college students who presented for treatment of IAD. The clinical sample of our study has demonstrated a high percentage of comorbidity with Axis I and II disorders, while the temporal precedence of the establishment of those disorders cannot lead to specific conclusions. Half of the sample (25/50) presented with comorbidity of another Axis I disorder and 38% (19/50) with a concurrent Axis II personality disorder. The majority of Axis I disorders (51.85%) were reported before the onset of IAD, 33.3% after the onset while it was unclear in 14.81% of cases. The examination of a path model demonstrated that important contributions to the understanding of this disorder can be made through concepts from the neurobiological, trait personality paradigm, as well as from the psychodynamic defense style paradigm. Comorbid psychopathology can further exacerbate the presentation of IAD through a direct link, regardless of the underlying personality structure. The clinician treating IAD patients should complete a clinical evaluation for comorbid Axis I and II diagnoses since their presence may signify a more serious presentation.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; Hellenic Association for the Study of Internet Addiction Disorder, Larissa, Greece. Electronic address: georgefloros@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Floros
authors.affiliation: Hellenic Association for the Study of Internet Addiction Disorder, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Siomos
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Ariadni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stogiannidou
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Giouzepas
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garyfallos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010551:Personality; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Comorbidity; Internet addiction; Personality; Psychopathology