EU NET ADB: A qualitative study of internet addictive behaviour in middle adolescence

1

Safer internet This project is funded under the Safer Internet programme,

a multiannual Community Programme on promoting safer use of the Internet and new online technologies.

http://ec.europa.eu/saferinternet

SI-2010-KEP-4101007

Dreier, M.1, Tzavela, E.2, Wölfling, K,1, Mavromati, F.2, F., Duven, E.1, Karakitsou, Ch.3, Macarie, G.4, Veldhuis, L.5, Wojcik, S.6, Halapi, E.7, Sigursteinsdottir, H.7, Oliaga, A8., Tsitsika, A.2

The EU NET ADB project• Studying Internet Addictive Behaviours in

Adolescence.• A mixed-methods project: quantitative and

qualitative protocols • Funded under the Safer Internet Programme

(SI-2011--KEP-4101007).• Data collected in seven European countries

2

Landeszentrale für Medien und Kommunikation Rheinland-PfalzUniversity of MainzGermany

The consortium

3

University of AkureyiIceland

ProtegelesSpain

Adolescent Health UnitUniversity of Athens

Greece

University ofMedicine and Pharmacy lasiRomania

Nobody’s Children FoundationPoland

IVO Addiction Research Institute

Netherlands

Consortium & Role of each partner

Partner name Country Role in project

Adolescent Health Unit (AHU)

Greece Data collection

Open, axial and selective coding

PROTEGELES Spain Data collection and open coding*

NCF Poland Data collection and open coding*

UMC-Mainz Germany Data collection

Open*, axial and selective codingUMF Romania Data collection and open coding*

IVO The Netherlands

Data collection and open coding*

UNAK Iceland Data collection and open coding*

Consortium-wide 7 countries  4

Outline

• The EU NET ADB project• Consortium and contributions• Research question and Methodology• Results • Implications

5

Research question &Methodology employed

• How does internet addictive behavior develop in adolescence ?

• Grounded Theory (GT) Step wise – full version

(Strauss & Corbin, 1990; 1998)

• Why GT?– Ideal for new “new” constructs– Process question

6

Method: recruiting and interviewing

• Recruiting and selectionPurposive sampling of adolescents showing “signs of internet addictive behaviours”

(Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1996); IAT > 30 points)

• Data collection –>Interviewing 124 Anonymous in-depth interviews with adolescents 14-17 years

7

Method: databankPartner name Country Role in project Interviews

conducted and analyzed

 Adolescent Health Unit (AHU)

Greece Data collection

Open, axial and selective coding

20

PROTEGELES Spain Data collection and open coding* 20

NCF Poland Data collection and open coding* 20

UMC-Mainz Germany Data collection

Open*, axial and selective coding

20

UMF Romania Data collection and open coding* 16

IVO The Netherlands Data collection and open coding* 16

UNAK Iceland Data collection and open coding* 12

Consortium-wide

7 countries   124interviews 8

Method: The interview (IS)

semi-structured IS comprised of 5 parts

Use of open-ended questions and additional prompts to allow and facilitate participants’ narration

Examples: 1. Now please remember the last day you did not use the

internet AT ALL. Can you tell me about that day?Prompt (if needed). How did this day affect your feelings, thoughts or behavior, if it did?

Method:from Interviews to transcripts

10

Method:From transcripts -> codes-> concepts-> categories

Concepts Properties Dimensions Open CategoryExemplar quote Coded concepts line-by-

lineNL01L18-23: When I was little we had one of those modem things and that went *makes dial-up noise*, something like that and that was super slow. Then we had behavioural goals here at home, like that I wasn’t allowed to throw cushions if I was angry, and with that I could earn “Internet-minutes” and that’s how it started actually. At school, we could be on the computer for an hour every Friday. Yeah, that is how it started, and in the beginning it was games or spele.nl.

>technological constrains –

>behavioural goals-parental mediation

->“how it started”-> school access-> online games

Assistance provided Learning style Self-learning to fully assisted Initiation

OnlineSocial mediation provided

Well remembered vs.Too young to remember

Recollection degree

Vague to well-remembered

First impression Discovery level Subtle to overt Use limited in time and applicationsParental restrictions and rules

Restrictions imposed

Subtle to overt restrictions

School accessEducational accessGames (offline or online)

Child as consumer of content

Subtle to intense consumption of content

Technological Difficulties Early difficulties

Subtle to overt

11

l 12

Method:Stepwise Data Collection and Analysis

to Achieve Saturation of Categories

Data Collection Data Analysis

Close to SaturatedCategories

ThirdInterview

SecondInterview

FirstInterview

More RefinedCategories

RefinedCategories

PreliminaryCategories

TowardSaturation ofCategories

Results:The quantitative side of qualitative data

60.000 Lines of transcript1.500 locally generated concepts of meaning Recoded and merged -> in to 440 concepts78 open categories of meaning Six axial categories of meaning

13

Six axial categories(emerged themes)

• Growing into a Content Creator • Adolescent Thirst • Always online and Checking out• Easing Adolescence to Empowering Self • Juggling A Changing Reality• Digital Outcomes

14

The building blocks of our theory

15l

Results:From Categories to the Coding Paradigm

Axial Categories Coding Paradigm

Context

Causal Conditions

PhenomenonStrategies Consequences

InterveningConditions

• Growing into a Content Creator

• Adolescent Thirst • Always online and

Checking out• Easing Adolescence

to Empowering Self • Juggling A Changing

Reality• Digital Outcomes

Looking for interrelationsBuilding a scheme

[Internet as a Mode]

Always 0nlineand

Checking Out

[Internet as a Mode]

Always 0nlineand

Checking Out

AdolescentThirst

forConnection

and Information

[Internet as a Developmental Context]

Growing into a Content Creator

From Easing Adolescence toEmpowering Self

Juggling a Changing

RealityMaladaptive

strategies Adaptive strategies

Self-

Searching

Digital Outcomes

Self(schema)

Maladaptive

Adaptive

Context

Strategies

Intervening

PhenomenonCausal

Consequences

Central theme

17

Digital Pathways

Developmental Pathways

18

Growing Into a Content Creator

“Discovered fFcebook”- Turning into Content Creators

I started with Messenger and… that kind of… messaging and all, thanks to my cousin, little by little, more and more, then Tuenti, sharing information, photographs and all, several accounts and now [..], I am always fully connected. [SP13, G - L54- L59]

I am often the first one, I was the first to use social media, my friends discovered Facebook and thought it was amazing and so I had to have it. [NL13L237-239]

Social Practices Changing- Befriending First Online

It’s occurred to me that it’s weird that I am from a generation that first gets to know each other and then meets each other in person. You see that happening ever more on Twitter and such things. People that meet each other online and then in real life, that’s never happen in the past. [NL04, G -L16-18]

First stepsDigital Pathways

19

Adolescent Thirst InformationConnection

Self-searching

“Innate curiosity”[I am]curious because I am interested in what is happening in the world and about what my friends are doing, that’s why I use social media.

[NL05L104-106]

“Quenching thirst”The Internet is designed to make you communicate, to be in line with all the information, technology, everything related to the field in science, everything that interests you, sometimes even to your self-discovery. [R20L385-387]

“Crystalize self”Well, greatly, because social networks are a, they crystallize how you are and how you can be very confronting because of that, and therefore you can learn to be the person you want to be or try to be. And the internet gives a lot of information about how other can possibly see you. NL04L334-336]

Causalconditions

20

Always online and Checking out

“Always Online”

I am always active, I always carry my mobile phone with me I have the Internet on all the time, Twitter and all that… I tweet and I am always active there, always in constant communication with other people [SP ,boy, L234]

“Checking Out”- “Avoid Missing Out”

Yes, I would like to use it less, but the thing is that I get invitations to events to meet up, and that’s why I keep an eye on it, to see if there’s anything new. [SP17/ L111- L112:]

I always use [the Internet], always check new developments

Phenomenon

21

From Easing Adolescence to Empowering Self

“Cutting Corners”

PL03L111-116: I mean, I don’t post stuff myself but I use what other people have put on the Internet. If there’s some assignment that I can’t manage, I just write it down and then try to understand it later. I generally try to Google stuff but sometimes people put up stuff they did on Facebook.

“Gaining courage”

GR10L230-232: You make more friends and you get a sense of belonging. You gain courage and you make friends [pause]. You become more social and you are not closed up inside.

Interveningconditions

22

Juggling A Changing Reality

“Prioritizing”

the last couple of weeks that we had exams at school I haven’t been using it that much because I wanted to study. GR2L49-50]

“Bypassing Parental control”

 My parents had a password on the computer and I could not use it. Then... well... when the holidays were close, every time that my mother left the password set and, for example, went to bathe my sister, I then took advantage of the situation, changed the password and then, I was able to use the computer the following day. SP06/ L 21- L25]

characterized by

Online Craving and Offline Engagement Offline engagement► Online craving▼

Low Offline engagement

High Offline engagement

Low online craving

Killing Boredom Coming Full Cycle

[or Considering Change]

High online craving 

Stuck Online:“Addicted to…...” 

Juggling it All   23

Digital Outcomes

Exploring connections between

Strategies and Digital OutcomesProperties of Axial 5

Outcome of Axial 5- strategies employed Dimension of properties associated with each strategy

Interrelated Dimensions of Axial 6 Properties(Craving and Offline Engagement)

associated consequence Axial 6 (online position)

Degree of self-regulation Attitude to change

Adaptive

Strategies

Self-monitoring and limiting of use

->moderate…high self-regulation> Readiness for change

High Craving

High Offline Engagement

Low Craving

Juggling it All

Considering/underway

Change

Coming Full Circle

Prioritizing

->moderate…high self-regulation->readiness for change

Exploring/considering new off-line alternatives

>moderate…high self-regulation->readiness for change

Legitimizing imposed restrictions

>low self-regulation -> readiness for change

Maladaptive Strateg

ies

Procrastinating

> moderate resistance for change > low self-regulation

High cravingLow Offline Engagement

Stuck Online:“ I am

addicted”

Bypassing imposed restraints of use

> resistance for change> low self-regulation

Legitimizing use > resistance for change> low self-regulation

Normalizing and downward comparison

> resistance for change> low self-regulation

24

25

Digital Outcomes Stuck Online

“Neglecting offline“ - Low offline engagement”

Well I used to go out more. Being outside, going swimming, or stuff like that. I haven't being swimming for about 2 years. I haven't been out with my friend in the evening for over 4 month now, such things you neglect. [D1L576-578]

26

Digital Outcomes Considering change

“Treasuring Fb: A book with everything me”

GR16F L130-140: At times, I have thought about giving it up [Facebook account], but then I consider that it’s now a part of my life, it’s like I’m having a book in which there is everything about me and that scares me sometimes. I am thinking that if I throw it away, everything I have ever done will be lost.

“What am I doing now?”• I started visiting social networks like Facebook, saying “ah, here there are

many people, I meet new people, that’s nice”, staying [online] for more and more time, [..] I making comments, uploading stuff and creating a new life In there, like a virtual reality. Um…I think that happened. after a while though [..] then, you come full cycle, you start saying «what am I doing now?”, you get tired of It, you shut It down, you go out and you start cutting down on the time you spend on It, you start doing other things you enjoy more and forget about It, get It out of your mind and, just like that; it comes full cycle.

• Two routes leading to this digital outcome Self-Correction Saturation

27

Digital Outcomes Coming Full Cycle

What is this story about?

• What is the main “concern”? • Identifying the core category

28

Navigating Adolescent Pathways

• the dynamic interplay between digital and developmental pathways

29

For me it’s normal and if I’m on my computer for a bit longer then that’s also normal for me.. Yeah, its so in your rhythm … And I don’t think you should see it as an addiction because it’s something extremely useful. [NL01L109-110]

[Internet as a Mode]

Always 0nlineand

Checking Out

[Internet as a Mode]

Always 0nlineand

Checking Out

AdolescentThirst

forConnection

and Information

[Internet as a Developmental Context]

Growing into a Content Creator

From Easing Adolescence toEmpowering Self

Juggling a Changing

RealityMaladaptive

strategies Adaptive strategies

Self-

Searching

Digital Outcomes

Self(schema)

Maladaptive

Adaptive

Context

Strategies

Intervening

PhenomenonCausal

Consequences

Questions?

Thank you!  

Adolescent Health Unit (A.H.U.), 2nd Dept. of Pediatrics - University of Athens

P. & A. Kyriakou Children’s Hospital 24, Mesogeion Avenue, Athens 115 27, Greece

Tel + 30 210 771 0824 + 30 213 200 9806

  eu.netadb@med.uoa.gr

 http://www.eunetadb.eu

31