title: Processes discriminating adaptive and maladaptive Internet use among European adolescents highly engaged online.
abstract: Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged adolescents develop maladaptive patterns of internet use. The present qualitative study explored the experiences, patterns and impact of use of 124 adolescents (M(age) = 16.0) reporting signs of internet addictive behaviors. The focus was to discern adaptive and maladaptive use patterns, which promote or interfere with adolescents' development, respectively. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted in seven European countries (Greece, Spain, Poland, Germany, Romania, Netherlands and Iceland) and qualitatively analyzed using grounded theory. Considerable variability emerged in the way adolescents satisfied their personal needs online and offline, in the experienced impact from high online engagement and functional value ascribed to the internet, and in the self-regulatory processes underlying use. Variability in these discriminating processes was linked to adaptive or maladaptive adolescent internet use patterns. The emerged processes can provide direction for designing prevention and intervention programs promoting adaptive use.
authors.affiliation: Adolescent Health Unit (AHU), Second Department of Pediatrics, P & A. Kyriakou Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (N.K.U.A.), Greece. Electronic address: et@intec.gr.
authors.forename: Eleni C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Tzavela
authors.affiliation: Deree, The American College of Greece, Greece.
authors.forename: Chryssoula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Karakitsou
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Clinic for Behavioral Addictions Mainz/Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz (UMC-Mainz), Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dreier
authors.affiliation: Adolescent Health Unit (AHU), Second Department of Pediatrics, P & A. Kyriakou Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (N.K.U.A.), Greece.
authors.forename: Foteini
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mavromati
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Clinic for Behavioral Addictions Mainz/Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz (UMC-Mainz), Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wölfling
authors.affiliation: University of Akureyri Research Center (UNAK), Akureyri, Iceland.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Halapi
authors.affiliation: Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi (UMF), Romania.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Macarie
authors.affiliation: Nobody's Children Foundation (NCF), Poland.
authors.forename: Szymon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wójcik
authors.affiliation: IVO Addiction Research Institute, Heemraadssingel 194, 3021 DM Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lydian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Veldhuis
authors.affiliation: Adolescent Health Unit (AHU), Second Department of Pediatrics, P & A. Kyriakou Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (N.K.U.A.), Greece.
authors.forename: Artemis K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Tsitsika
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D041923:Adolescent Development; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment
keywords: Adaptive–maladaptive patterns; Adolescence; High online engagement; Internet use; Qualitative research