title: [Internet Addiction Disorder in a Sample of 402 High School Students].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Internet Addiction Disorder can be defined as "the inability of individuals to control their internet use, resulting in marked distress and/or functional impairment in daily life." It carries the same social aftermath of impulse control and substance misuse disorders such as loss of control, craving and withdrawal symptoms.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this paper, we aimed to assess the prevalence of IAD in an Italian sample of high-school students. We also explored the relationship between Social Phobia and IAD diagnosis; lastly, we investigated the association between IAD and substance misuse.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration. Assessments administered in this study consisted of three parts: 1) collecting information about general and personal data of the subjects; 2) the Internet Addiction questionnaire proposed by Ko, composed by 9 different areas; 3) the Social Anxiety Spectrum Self-Report (SHY-SR) Lifetime Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  19 of 402 subjects (i.e. 4.7% of the sample) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for IAD, showing a slight predominance of males. 10.9% of subjects met diagnostic criteria for a Social Phobia Spectrum disorder. Six IAD subjects (31.8%) were also diagnosed with a social phobia spectrum condition. Within the group of students diagnosed with IAD, 4 (21.05%) subjects reported current or past use of drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that there is a sizable population of youth already showing or at risk of developing some kind of problematic relationship with the web. Social Anxiety Disorder seems to be both a risk factor and a frequent co-morbid disorder of internet misuse. Further studies along with shared diagnostic criteria and tools will facilitate research on treatments for these rapidly expanding and disabling conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Siena.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taranto
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Siena.
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goracci
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Siena.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bolognesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Siena.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borghini
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Siena.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fagiolini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Pathological Internet Use; internet addiction disorder; social phobia