Department of Psychiatry

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Browsing Department of Psychiatry by browse.metadata.advisor "Coetzee, Bronwyne"

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    Problematic use of the internet and family functioning : a quantitative investigation
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04) Van Den Berg, Gizela; Lochner, Christine; Coetzee, Bronwyne; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Psychiatry.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: The internet is intertwined with most aspects of our daily lives and contribute considerably to the progression of humankind. Nevertheless, the excessive and maladaptive use of the internet are linked to serious health concerns and has subsequently been termed problematic use of the internet. Problematic use of the internet (PUI) is widely considered a behavioural addiction and is frequently linked to various psychological, social, academic, and/or professional problems. Many people with PUI present with psychiatric comorbidities such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Moreover, there are many reports suggesting that young people are at particular risk for PUI. Existing literature, mainly conducted in Asia, implicate family functioning in PUI. According to the premise of family systems theory (FST), PUI can only be appraised by examining the complex interactions of family members. The relationship between PUI and family functioning is shown to be reciprocal in nature: PUI may result in unhealthy family functioning, marked by conflict, low levels of cohesion, and poor communication. In turn, unhealthy family functioning may reinforce PUI when members excessively engage with the internet as a coping mechanism. Little research has been done on PUI in general, and none in youth in South Africa (SA). To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the relationship between PUI and family functioning in South African youth between the ages of 18 and 30. There were four research objectives to the present study. The first objective was to determine the demographic profile of our sample of 18-to-30-year-old South Africans with PUI (including PUI prevalence rates). The second objective was to investigate whether there is a relationship between PUI and family functioning. The third objective was to explore whether there is a relationship between time spent on various online activities (e.g., online gaming, online gambling, and online pornography) and family functioning. The fourth objective was to determine whether there is an interaction effect between PUI and comorbid psychiatric disorders (e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) on family functioning. Cross-sectional survey data was collected from 814 South Africans between the ages of 18 and 30 years. Among our sample of 814 respondents (๐‘›๐‘“๐‘’๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘’๐‘  = 531; ๐‘›๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘’๐‘  = 278; ๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘”๐‘’๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ/๐‘œ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ = 5), the prevalence rate of PUI was 15%, indicating that PUI may be a significant mental health issue among our sample. Potential risk factors to PUI in our sample included: being single, having completed high school (grade 12), having some college/university education, and being a university/college student. Results showed that as scores on the JEG internet addiction test (IAT) 10-item instrument increased, scores on the general functioning scale of the family assessment device (GF-FAD) increased linearly, indicating that increased severity of PUI was associated with increased severity of unhealthy family functioning (r = .33, p < .001). There was a significant difference in the GF-FAD scores for individuals with PUI (M = 2.57, SD = .51) and those without PUI (M = 2.13, SD = .61); t(812) = -7.52, p < 0.001, suggesting that individuals with PUI experienced unhealthier family functioning than individuals without PUI. The increased frequency of all but one of the PUI symptoms (i.e., symptom six: โ€œDo you snap, yell, or act annoyed if someone bothers you while you are on-line?โ€) correlated significantly with severity of unhealthy family functioning. Section B of the internet severity and activities addiction questionnaire (ISAAQ), i.e., the internet activities scale (IAS), indicated that as time spent on social networking (r = .11, p = .003), online pornography (r = .20, p < .001), streaming media (r = .11, p = .003), and cyberbullying (r = .17, p < .001) increased, the severity of unhealthy family functioning increased. No interaction effects of PUI and comorbidities on family functioning were found (p > .05). In conclusion, the current findings suggest that PUI is common in South African youth. This study also sheds light on the nature of the relationship between PUI and unhealthy family functioning among young South Africans. This relationship demands sustained attention and effort from role-players such as parents, schools, clinicians and policymakers alike, to mitigate it and therefore promote the optimal development of youth.