EPA-0274 – Social Introversion, Internet Surfing, Pathological Gambling: A Correlative Study on Italian Adolescents

Abstract

Introduction:

For some adolescents surfing the web can turn into a psychological defense and to be in contrast with a healthy mental development. It happen if the internet surfing becomes a compulsive need (Drusian, 2005). Massive use of the internet can promote the development of behavioral addictions such as pathological gambling (Cantelmi, D’Andrea, 2000).

Objectives and Aims:

The study investigates the correlation between social introversion, modality of the internet surfing and propensity to pathological gambling in a sample of Italian adolescents.

Methods:

The research used a questionnaire divided into four areas: school performance, use of the internet, social introversion (SI scale of the MMPI-A); experiences of gambling (LIE/BET Questionnaire). 583 adolescents (45% males and 54% females, mean age 17 years) responded to the questionnaire.

Results:

Adolescents with high social introversion (high scores on Si scale) are 7.4% of the sample. These teenagers use the Internet many hours per day. They state that surfing the internet is a way to drive away negative thoughts about their lives. They think that life would be boring without the internet. Many adolescents with social introversion have high scores to LIE/BET Questionnaire. The study does not show a correlation between school performance and the others variables (social introversion, use of internet and propensity to pathological gambling).

Conclusions:

Social introversion seems to be a predictor of psychological disease such as internet addiction and pathological gambling.