Risk-taking behavior and academic self-efficacy as variables accounting for problematic internet use in adolescent university students

Objective

This study investigated the relationship between risk-taking behavior and academic self-efficacy and problematic internet use in adolescent university students and whether problematic internet use varies according to the variables of gender, possession of a computer and living with the family.

Methods

The study was performed with 556 students from the Karadeniz Technical University Fatih Faculty of Education in Turkey. The Problematic Internet Use Scale, the Adolescent Risk-Taking Questionnaire, the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale and Personal Information Collection Form were used in the collection of data.

Results

Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between problematic internet use and risk-taking behavior (r = .37, p < .01) and a significant negative correlation between problematic internet use and academic self-efficacy (r = − .12, p < .05). Multiple regression analysis revealed that risk-taking behavior and academic self-efficacy accounted for 14% of total problematic internet use variance (F_(2,553) = 46.11, p < .05). The individual contribution to the model of risk-taking (β = .37) and academic self-efficacy (β = − .09) is significant. Our results also showed that university adolescents' problematic internet use scores vary by gender (t = − 4.90, p < .05) and possession or otherwise of a computer (t = 3.10, p < .05), but not on the basis of whether they live with their families (t = − .13, p > .05).

Conclusions

Risk-taking behavior and academic self-efficacy emerged as significant predictors of problematic internet use.     

Effects of psychological problems,emotional dysregulation,and self-esteem on problematic Internet use among Korean adolescents

The aim of this study was to examine the direct effects of psychological problems and emotional dysregulation and the mediating effect of self-esteem on problematic Internet use (PIU) among adolescents in South Korea. This study was conducted as a secondary analysis with the data from “The 2013 Validation Study of K-Scale as a Diagnostic Tool” by the Korean National Information Society Agency (N = 351). Our structural equation modeling analyses revealed that psychological problems and emotional dysregulation affected PIU by mediating low self-esteem; however, the direct effects of psychological problems and emotional dysregulation were not demonstrated. Thus, this study empirically verified that the cognitive-behavioral model of PIU provides a theoretical framework to describe the pathway to PIU among Korean adolescents. The results suggest that preventing and intervening for PIU should include effective strategies that improve self-esteem for adolescents.     

Risky sexual behavior and substance use among adolescents: A meta-analysis

This study presents the results of a meta-analysis of the association between substance use and risky sexual behavior among adolescents. 87 studies fit the inclusion criteria, containing a total of 104 independent effect sizes that incorporated more than 120,000 participants. The overall effect size for the relationship between substance use and risky sexual behavior was in the small to moderate range (r = .22, CI = .18, .26). Further analyses indicated that the effect sizes did not substantially vary across the type of substance use, but did substantially vary across the type of risky sexual behavior being assessed. Specifically, mean effect sizes were the smallest for studies examining unprotected sex (r = .15, CI = .10, .20), followed by studies examining number of sexual partners (r = .25, CI = .21, .30), those examining composite measures of risky sexual behavior (r = .38, CI = .27, .48), and those examining sex with an intravenous drug user (r = .53, CI = .45, .60). Furthermore, our results revealed that the relationship between drug use and risky sexual behavior is moderated by several variables, including sex, ethnicity, sexuality, age, sample type, and level of measurement. Implications and future directions are discussed.     

The relationship between problematic internet use and interpersonal cognitive distortions and life satisfaction in university students

Objective

The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between problematic internet use by college students and interpersonal cognitive distortions and life satisfaction.

Methods

A total of 418 students, 260 females and 158 males, studying in different departments of the Fatih Faculty of Education, Karadeniz Technical University, participated. The Online Cognition Scale, Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale and Personal Information Form were used as instruments.

Results

A significant positive correlation was determined between problematic internet use and interpersonal cognitive distortions (r = .33, p < .01), and a negative one with life satisfaction (r = − .21, p < .01). Interpersonal cognitive distortions, life satisfaction and gender account for 21% of total variance (F₍₃₄₁₃₎ = 37.30, p < .05). Findings revealed that males exhibit more problematic internet use than females, which subjects with a pessimistic perception of events have a higher level of problematic internet use than those with an optimistic perception and that subjects who always feel lonely exhibit greater problematic internet use than those who never or only sometimes experience feelings of loneliness.

Conclusions

Interpersonal cognitive distortions, life satisfaction and gender were significant predictors of problematic internet use. Problematic internet use exhibits significant variations according to gender, perception of events and feelings of loneliness.     

An exploratory study of recreational drug use and nutrition-related behaviors and attitudes among adolescents.

This study examined drug use and eating behaviors among adolescents. The data were collected by phone interviews from 401 northern Nevadan students in grades seven to twelve. Students were divided for comparison into three groups according to their involvement with drugs: Abstainers, conventional users, and high-risk users. Analyses indicated that high-risk users less frequently ate lunch, meals at home, and with their families, and ate more often at convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and with friends. In addition, female high-risk users had significantly more negative perceptions regarding their food choices than the other female groups, and were more concerned with dieting than their high-risk using male peers. Male and female high-risk users believed that their drug use affected their eating habits. Implications for prevention programming and future research are discussed.     

Empathy and drug use behaviors among African-American adolescents

The current study proposed that empathy may indirectly play a protective role for adolescents in drug use behaviors and that this relationship will be mediated by self-regulatory strategies found in drug refusal efficacy. We predict that empathy will be linked to prosocial behavior and aggression, though we do not believe that they will mediate the relationship between empathy and drug use. The sample included 498 African-American adolescents in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The results of structural equation modeling provided support for our hypotheses. Empathy was significantly and positively associated with drug refusal efficacy and prosocial behavior. Empathy was negatively associated with aggression. Drug refusal efficacy was negatively related to past 30-day drug use, providing evidence for the fully mediating role of drug refusal self-efficacy on empathy and past 30-day drug use. Consistent with our predictions, aggression and prosocial behavior were not significantly associated with past 30-day drug use. These findings may be useful in the context of programming efforts for drug prevention.     

Alcohol and tobacco use among South Korean adolescents: An ecological review of the literature

This article represents a comprehensive review of the literature on the predictors, consequences and prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use among South Korean youth. A systematic review of the literature in Korean and English social science journals was undertaken. Findings suggest that processes at multiple levels may lead to problems with alcohol and tobacco among these youth. In particular, the literature suggests that risk factors at the socio-demographic (age, gender, and depression), micro- (family, peer, and teachers), meso- (relations between home and school), exo- (parent-related life events and media), macro- (parenting practices and academic stress), and chrono-systems levels (Asia-Pacific financial crisis in 1997) are associated with increased alcohol and tobacco use. Higher quality of relationships with parents, peers, and teacher can contribute to reductions in alcohol and tobacco use and may offer insights for developing prevention and treatment programs that are appropriate for this population.     

Onset of substance use among early adolescents in Sweden

ABSTRACT

Problem: Early onset, prevalence, and predictors of substance use – tobacco, alcohol-drinking, alcohol-drunkenness, and drugs – were studied in 13 and 14-year-old boys and girls in Sweden. Methods: Self-reported data in four communities were used (n = 1,716). A large set of psychological and social factors were tried as predictors of early onset use (n = 1,459). Results: There were few gender differences and low prevalence. Primary predictor for early onset in tobacco use was availability; perceived parental approval for alcohol use, and delinquent behaviors for alcohol-drunkenness and drug use. Conclusions: Individual behavioral factors and parental norms seem to be most important in this age.     

Peer influence and drug use among adolescents in rural areas

A sample of 1,004 eighth and tenth grade students in twenty-three small Central/East Texas communities was assessed to determine 1) their perception of the number of their friends who use drugs, 2) the amount of information they received about drugs from their friends, and 3) the connection between those perceptions and drug use. A multiple regression model which included grade, gender, the degree to which friends are perceived to use drugs and the amount of information about drugs received from friends explained 39 percent of the variance in the degree to which rural adolescents were involved in drug use. An item specific analysis of the subcomponents of these composite variables explained 44 percent of the variance in the degree to which rural adolescents were involved in drug use. This same four-factor model accurately classified over 81 percent of non-drug-users and 67 percent of users using discriminant analysis. Students who perceived a higher degree of drug use among their friends and who received more information about drugs from their friends used drugs more frequently. Lower marijuana use in these rural areas as compared to the nation, both as a peer perception and as a fact, may protect these students to a degree from broader patterns of drug use. The findings of this study support the theory that peer pressure is related to drug abuse, even in rural areas.     

Concurrent alcohol and cigarette use among school-going adolescents in Korea

BackgroundConrurrent alcohol and tobacco use may increase the risk for substance abuse in adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate concurrent alcohol and cigarette use and the co-occurrence risks of each substance in school-going adolescents in Korea.MethodsIn a cross-sectional nationally representative survey in 2016, 65,528 students (Mean age = 15.1 years, SE = 0.02) responded to a questionnaire that included measures of substance use and substance use exposure.ResultsIn all, 13.3% of the students were concurrent lifetime smokers and drinkers (19.3% among boys and 6.7% among girls), 25.5% lifetime alcohol users only (24.2% among boys and 26.9% among girls), 3.0% lifetime smokers only (4.7% among boys and 1.1% among girls) and 58.3% never smoked and never used alcohol (52.2% among boys and 47.8% among girls). All measures of more intensive smoking pattern and smoking exposure and more intensive drinking pattern and drinking exposures, respectively, were associated with consistently increased risk of lifetime alcohol use and lifetime smoking, respectively, compared to lifetime never smokers and abstainers. In multinomial logistic regression, compared to students who neither had used alcohol nor tobacco, concurrent lifetime smokers and drinkers were more likely to be male, mixed or boys school, higher school grade, lower paternal and maternal educational level, perceived lower socio-economic status, ever drug user, perceived stress above average, depressive mood, experience of violence victimization, and living in a rural area or medium sized city.ConclusionPrevention and treatment strategies should better incorporate the comorbidity of cigarette smoking and alcohol use in their intervention programmes.     

An investigation into causal links between victimization and offending in adolescents

There is a considerable body of evidence from earlier research to show that offending is associated with an increased risk of victimization, and being a victim with an increased risk of offending. There have been few earlier studies of the link. These have generally set out to test specific explanations, for example, the idea that the same lifestyles or routine activities may be associated with both victimization and offending. In a current study of a cohort of 4,300 adolescents in Edinburgh we have found a correlation of 0.421 between crime victimization and self-reported offending at the age of 15 when offending peaks. Variables chosen to test three broad types of theory - life-style and routine activities, weak social bonds, aspects of personality - are shown to be related both to victimization and to offending in adolescence. The present analysis uses latent class growth mixture models to track the dynamic relationships over time between adolescent victimization and offending both before and after controlling for these explanatory variables. In the short term, offending is strongly related to a later rise in victimization, but in the longer term to a fall that tends to cancel out the earlier rise. These findings remain the same after controlling for the ten explanatory variables. Victimization is associated with a later rise in offending in the longer term. The theoretical perspectives suggested by earlier researchers are fairly successful in explaining this linkage running from victimization to offending. Future research should focus on the role of peer influence in linking victimization and offending, and should push forward the analysis into the adult years. The implications for criminal justice policy could be far-reaching.     

The role of apathy,personal insecurity,and socio-economic status in formation of risk-taking behavior among university students

The primary purpose of the current study was to explore the role of apathy and personal insecurity in risk-taking behavior among university students. Furthermore, it examined the influence of socio-economic factors (such as age, gender, and education) on risk-taking behavior. For this purpose, 882 university students elicited their responses through self-structured questionnaire. Factor analysis and reliability analysis were applied to test the reliability, validity, and robustness of scales. Bivariate analysis was used to test hypothesis, independent T-test was used to examine the differences in categories of risk-taking behavior, and multiple linear regression was used to scrutinize model fit. There was association between apathy, personal insecurity, socio-economic characteristics (such as gender, education, and father education) and risk-taking behavior of the university students. The current study would add to empirical foundation to build a theoretical framework of risk-taking behavior based on education, age, income, and residential background. This study contributes to the academic scholarship by explaining individual differences based on socio-economic status in prediction of risk-taking behavior. Furthermore, it provides a different theoretical insight and logical explanation of risk-taking propensity for constructs of apathy and personal insecurity. To the best knowledge of the researchers, it is first study to explain the association apathy, personal insecurity and risk-taking behavior through quantification of data among resourceful group of youth.     

Fertility and fertility-related behavior among Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white female adolescents

Ethnic differences in fertility-related behavior are examined in a community-based probability sample of 706 Mexican-American and 317 non-Hispanic white females aged 13 through 19 years. Mexican-Americans are more likely than whites to have had a live birth, but are no more likely to have been pregnant and are less likely to have had sexual intercourse. Sexually experienced Mexican-Americans, however, are twice as likely as whites to have been pregnant. Among those ever pregnant, Mexican-Americans are more likely to have had a live birth, while whites are more likely to have had an abortion. Ethnic differences remain strong when socioeconomic status and indicators of social instability are controlled statistically, lending more support to the "minority status" hypothesis than to the "characteristics" hypothesis concerning the fertility-related behavior of minority group members.     

Anabolic steroid use: indications of habituation among adolescents

The use of anabolic steroids (AS) by adolescent males is argued to be more widespread than currently acknowledged. Although the long-term physiological and psychological ramifications of use are not well established, current research and anecdotal information suggest that there is reason for concern. In addition, very little is known about the attitudes and behaviors of these adolescent AS users. While the debate concerning the physiological versus the psychological dependence liability of various drugs continues to evolve, there seems to be a consensus that drug dependence is not a per se phenomenon and that the characteristics of dependence differ in accordance with the drug being used. The following article attempts to identify characteristics of the adolescent male AS user and suggests that AS use does have a dependence potential. The AS user population was found to be significantly different from nonusers in several areas such as self-perceptions of health and strength, interest in controlling AS use, and perceptions of peer AS use. The AS user group was also found to contain several subgroups (heavy users [greater than or equal to 5 cycles] versus other users, and those who initiated use prior to age sixteen who reported significantly different attitudes and/or behaviors. These differences suggest that prevention efforts will have to focus on different motivations for AS use.     

An impact evaluation of two versions of a brief intervention targeting alcohol use and physical activity among adolescents

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the immediate impact of two new versions of the Project SPORT program, a brief one-on-one tailored consult addressing alcohol use and physical activity for adolescents. One new version was a brief interactive CD-ROM (Study one) and a second was a brief small group consultation (Study two). In study one, high school students were exposed to either an interactive CD-ROM consultation or a non-interactive computer program. In study two, students either participated in a small group consultation or health booklet control. These studies suggest both interventions were highly acceptable to participants, however, the new CD-ROM version of Project SPORT had a greater positive effective on females than males. Suggestions to make the CD-ROM more acceptable and effective for males are presented. The small group version of Project SPORT was largely acceptable and potentially efficacious for both male and female adolescents, with the largest impact seen on participants' images, beliefs, and commitment related to physical activity.     

Psychosocial moderators of substance use among middle school-aged adolescents.

Recent statistics show a decrease in the overall use of drugs and alcohol in the general population [1]. In sharp contrast to this trend is the indication that adolescents' use of drugs and alcohol is increasing [2]. Because the use of drugs and alcohol can have serious implications for adolescents' physical, emotional, and social development, it is important that human service practitioners working with them understand those factors that influence their substance use, in order to develop effective interventions to deal with this growing problem. This article reports the findings of a study of drug and alcohol use among a sample of 779 adolescents who attended middle schools in a large urban city in the southwest United States. The study examines the relationships between substance use, social support, and a variety of other psychosocial factors. The implications of those relationships for human service practice and research are discussed.     

Substance use, self-esteem, and depression among Asian American adolescents

The relationship of self-esteem and depression with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use was tested in a California statewide sample of more than 4,300 Asian American high school students comprising five subgroups: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Vietnamese. Estimated prevalence rates of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use among males and females from these Asian American subgroups are presented. Correlations revealed that cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use were generally more related to high depression and low self-esteem in females than in males. Logistic regression analysis with only the female subjects investigated whether the relationship between the psychological variables and ATOD use was maintained even after controlling for traditionally important constructs in ATOD use (grade level in school, born in the United States, ethnicity, and ATOD use by friends). These results indicated that for females, depression was significantly related to alcohol and tobacco use, but self-esteem was not. Neither self-esteem nor depression was a significant contributor to marijuana use. Issues related to the application of these results are discussed.     

Cigarette,alcohol, and marijuana use among adolescents in foster family homes

Data from a cross-sectional study conducted in a random sample of children who were placed in foster family homes were used to examine the prevalence and associated factors of substance use (i.e., cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana), and to explore if adolescents in foster family homes had different rates of substance use than those in the general population matched on age, gender and race/ethnicity. Logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with substance use and McNemar tests were used to compare prevalence rates of substance use. Substance use was common among adolescents in foster family homes. A higher number of placement settings were significantly associated with current cigarette use (odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–1.60), and being placed in special study homes (i.e., fictive kin) was significantly associated with current marijuana use (OR, 6.43; 95% CI, 1.40–29.52). Compared to adolescents in the general population, those in foster family homes had lower rates of current alcohol (9.1% vs. 38.3%, p < 0.0001) and marijuana (13.6% vs. 29.7%, p = 0.005) use. No significant difference was observed for current cigarette use (18.2% vs. 11.5%, p = 0.08). More research is needed to confirm the lower rate of current substance use in foster family homes than those matched in the general population, and to explore why adolescents in special study homes were more vulnerable to marijuana use.     

Self-report of health problems and health care use among maltreated and comparison adolescents

The study aims were to compare maltreated and comparison adolescents' health problems and to identify how individual, family and home characteristics and maltreatment status affect adolescents' self-report of health status and health care use. The sample was 224 maltreated adolescents (mean age = 18.3 years) and 128 comparison adolescents (mean age = 18.15 years). Comparison adolescents reported more cold and pain symptoms during the previous 30 days but no differences in other physical health problems, self-assessment of their physical and mental health or health care use compared to maltreated adolescents. Girls were more likely to have had a dental checkup, to have seen a psychological counselor, and to self-identify their physical health as poor compared to boys. Older adolescents were less likely to have had a medical checkup or seen a psychological counselor than younger adolescents. A history of maltreatment was not related to health or health care disparities for adolescents growing up in the same low-income environment as adolescents without a maltreatment report. The environmental context and geographical location in which these adolescents grew up may be the primary driver in their health behaviors and health problems and not the experience of maltreatment.