Uso problemático de Internet, comorbilidad psicopatológica y factores de personalidad en población clínica adolescente
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21134/989Keywords:
Problematic internet use, comorbidity, personality, emotional and behavioral problems, adolescentsAbstract
Introduction. Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is common in adolescents undergoing psychopathological treatment. This study analyzes the prevalence of PIU and its associations with sociodemographic, psychopathological, and personality characteristics in a clinical sample of adolescents. Additionally, it assesses the usefulness of the Internet Addiction Test - Youth version (IAT-Y) and its parent version (IAT-P) in detecting the clinical diagnosis of "Internet Addiction". Method. Ninety-two adolescents (12-17 years old) from child and youth mental health centers in two Spanish cities, and one of their parents, participated in the study. Adolescents reported their Internet use, personality traits and disorders, behavioral problems (internalizing and externalizing), and other sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Parents reported their children's Internet use and behavioral problems. Results. The analysis revealed that 17.4% of patients received the clinical diagnosis of "Internet Addiction" based on the adapted DSM-5 criteria for "Internet Gaming Disorder". A total of 8.7% of young people (according to the IAT-Y) and 41.3% of parents (according to the IAT-P) recognized severe PIU (score ≥ 70). The IAT-Y score was positively associated with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems and with worse family functioning. It also correlated negatively with Agreeableness and Conscientiousness traits and positively with Neuroticism traits, as well as symptoms of Schizotypal, Histrionic, Borderline, and Avoidant Personality Disorders. Finally, the IAT-P was more accurate than the IAT-Y in detecting the diagnosis of "Internet Addiction". Conclusions. These findings underline the need to evaluate patients with PIU in personality, psychopathology, and family variables to tailor treatments according to the rest of the associated problems. Furthermore, evidence is provided on the usefulness of the IAT, especially the parents’ version (IAT-P) in the early detection of "Internet Addiction Disorder" in adolescents with mental disorders.
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