Internet Addiction among Greek University Students: Demographic Associations with the Phenomenon, Using the Greek Version of Young's Internet Addiction Test

International Journal of Economic Sciences and Applied Research, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 49-74

26 Pages Posted: 28 Aug 2010

See all articles by Christos C. Frangos

Christos C. Frangos

Technological Educational Institute of Athens - Department of Business Administration

Konstantinos C. Fragkos

University College London

Apostolos Kiohos

Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 25, 2010

Abstract

Internet addiction (IA) is a new disorder described in 1996 by the psychologist Kimberly Young. The aim of this paper is to estimate the percentage of IA among Greek university students. Results of a sample survey among 1876 Greek university students, 18-27 years old, are presented. The questionnaire consisted of eight questions from Young’s Diagnostic Test for Internet Addiction (YDTIA) as well as an inventory including demographic factors and questions about academic performance, computer and Internet use. YDTIA had a good reliability and diagnostic accuracy, tested with Cronbach’s alpha (0.71) and sensitivity analysis. Results show that the percentage of IA (5-8 YDTIA criteria) is 11.6%, while problematic Internet users were (3-8 YDTIA criteria) 34.7%. Men were more likely to be addicted to the Internet than women, and Internet addicted students were associated with poorer academic performance. Multiple logistic regression showed that significant predictors of IA included increased hours of daily Internet use, increased hours visiting chat rooms, sex pages and blogs, male gender, divorced status, poor grades, and accessing the Internet outside of the home. The results of this study will allow health officials to recognise students who are Internet addicted or on the verge of becoming addicted and stress risk factors indicating a need for intervention in order to prevent the appearance of IA.

Keywords: Greece, university students, Internet addiction, gender, academic performance, sex pages

JEL Classification: C83, I10, I21

Suggested Citation

Frangos, Christos C. and Fragkos, Konstantinos C. and Kiohos, Apostolos, Internet Addiction among Greek University Students: Demographic Associations with the Phenomenon, Using the Greek Version of Young's Internet Addiction Test (August 25, 2010). International Journal of Economic Sciences and Applied Research, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 49-74, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1664999

Christos C. Frangos (Contact Author)

Technological Educational Institute of Athens - Department of Business Administration ( email )

Agiou Spyridonos Street
Aigaleo
Athens, Attiki 12210
Greece
+302105385214 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://users.teiath.gr/cfragos

Konstantinos C. Fragkos

University College London ( email )

Gower Street
London, WC1E 6BT
United Kingdom

Apostolos Kiohos

Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens ( email )

Agiou Spyridonos Street
Aigaleo
Athens, Attiki 12210
Greece

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