Problematic Internet Use in Malta Amongst Young People Aged Between 18-30 Years: A Quantitative Study

With over one billion users worldwide, the internet has become one of the major necessities of life in almost all countries (Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2010). For most users, the internet is a tool that facilitates communication and information flow. However for others, it can lead to a “clinically significant behavioural or psychological syndrome [...] that is associated with present distress [...] and an important loss of freedom” (American Psychiatric Association, (APA) 2013). Locally, estimates of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) amongst the Maltese population or a sub- section of the general population remain unknown. Therefore, this research is a first attempt to explore the prevalence of PIU and related socio-demographic variables among a representative sample of young people in Malta aged between 18-30 years. The study has three particular aims: 1. to assess the prevalence of PIU amongst young Maltese people; 2. to explore the relationship between PIU and a number of socio-demographic variables, namely age, gender, district of residence, educational status successfully completed, labour status, type of occupation and relationship/marital status; 3. to contribute to international empirical research in the last decade and provide data that can be used to further understand the phenomenon of PIU and its related variables. To date, the classification of Internet Addiction is still contentious and no gold standard of assessment formally exists. Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was used to measure PIU amongst the sample. The final questionnaire package consisted of the following: • One open question asking participants what they use the Internet most for. • The 20 IAT Likert-scale questions. • An additional 8 close-ended questions related to socio-demographic variables: age, gender, locality, educational level successfully achieved, labour status, job title, relationship status and household composition. The target population for this survey consisted of all persons aged 18 to 30 residing in private residences. A Stratified Random sampling process was employed for this survey. In addition to this, quotas were used throughout the data collection phase to ensure that the required number of individuals from each sub-group was obtained. Data was collected by means of Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) between 23 February and 11 March 2015. A total of 4,233 persons were contacted for this survey, of whom 1,507 participated, while another 2,558 persons were not eligible to participate. This resulted in a net effective response rate of 90.0 per cent. The current study revealed that the majority (65.9%) were average internet users (IAT scores <39). One third of the sample (33.3%) were excessive Internet users who experienced some problems in their lives due to Internet overuse (IAT scores of 40-69) and 0.8% were problematic Internet users (IAT scores >70). The most popular online activity amongst the whole sample was social networking, with 83.8% listing it as the top activity performed online from a list of other activities which included email, research and education, browsing, online shopping, online news, streaming, playing games, chatting and Internet banking/online bill payment. Mean IAT scores amongst the sample differed significantly on a number of socio-demographic variables, although none of the mean scores reached the threshold for either excessive use or PIU, apart from unemployment. The unemployed group had mean scores of 39.45, which lies at the top end of ‘average use’ (scores <39), and the lower end of ‘excessive use’ (scores of 40-69). Male respondents had significantly higher mean IAT scores than their female counterparts and were also more likely to be excessive users than average users. Younger cohorts (those aged between 18-21 years) also had higher mean IAT scores and were also more likely to be excessive users than average users. Being single and not in a relationship also emerged as another factor for higher IAT scores. Also, those who were single were more likely to be excessive Internet users as opposed to average users. Respondents who had completed post-secondary levels of education had higher mean IAT scores than those who had completed just primary, secondary levels or tertiary levels, and were also more likely to be excessive users than average users. Respondents who resided in the Southern Harbour region of Malta had the highest mean IAT scores (34.94). This score was significantly higher than the lowest mean IAT scores that were endorsed by residents from Gozo (30.95). This finding merely shows that respondents from Gozo scored significantly lower than persons from Malta, particularly residents from the Southern harbour region. Mean scores across all the 6 districts however, fall well within the range for average Internet use. Results from the GLM that was conducted to analyse collectively the contribution of each of the socio-demographic variables revealed that the strongest predictor variables for higher IAT scores were: (1) type of education level completed (post-secondary level), marital status (single) and age (younger cohorts aged between 18-21 years). In the local context, this finding sheds light on the fact that increased Internet use is most strongly observed amongst 18-21 year old, single, well-educated persons. This cohort was also more likely to form part of the excessive users as opposed to average users of PIUs. The prevalence rates in the current study may be interpreted as follows: 1. PIU as conceptualised by the IAT does not appear to be a major endemic problem in the present sample. 2. The low prevalence rates may be under-represented due to specific properties of Internet use which were overlooked (e.g. quality of time on the Internet as opposed to quantity) and – due to some shortcomings of the IAT itself – the fact that it does not take into account the time criterion (Griffiths, 1999). If PIU is to be treated as a behaviour analogous to substance dependence, then a minimum number of symptoms need to be present simultaneously over a given time period. The IAT does not measure this temporal dimension. The current study can be regarded as contributing to empirical research over the last decade. It provides national data that can be used to further understand the phenomenon of PIU and its related socio-demographic variables.

"The current study revealed that the majority (65.9%) were average internet users (IAT scores <39). One third of the sample (33.3%) were excessive Internet users who experienced some problems in their lives due to Internet overuse (IAT scores of 40-69) and 0.8% were problematic Internet users (IAT scores >70). The most popular online activity amongst the whole sample was social networking, with 83.8% listing it as the top activity performed online from a list of other activities which included email, research and education, browsing, online shopping, online news, streaming, playing games, chatting and Internet banking/online bill payment. Mean IAT scores amongst the sample differed significantly on a number of socio-demographic variables, although none of the mean scores reached the threshold for either excessive use or PIU, apart from unemployment. The unemployed group had mean scores of 39.45, which lies at the top end of ‘average use’ (scores <39), and the lower end of ‘excessive use’ (scores of 40-69). Male respondents had significantly higher mean IAT scores than their female counterparts and were also more likely to be excessive users than average users. Younger cohorts (those aged between 18-21 years) also had higher mean IAT scores and were also more likely to be excessive users than average users. Being single and not in a relationship also emerged as another factor for higher IAT scores. Also, those who were single were more likely to be excessive Internet users as opposed to average users. Respondents who had completed post-secondary levels of education had higher mean IAT scores than those who had completed just primary, secondary levels or tertiary levels, and were also more likely to be excessive users than average users. Respondents who resided in the Southern Harbour region of Malta had the highest mean IAT scores (34.94). This score was significantly higher than the lowest mean IAT scores that were endorsed by residents from Gozo (30.95). This finding merely shows that respondents from Gozo scored significantly lower than persons from Malta, particularly residents from the Southern harbour region. Mean scores across all the 6 districts however, fall well within the range for average Internet use... the strongest predictor variables for higher IAT scores were: (1) type of education level completed (post-secondary level), marital status (single) and age (younger cohorts aged between 18-21 years). In the local context, this finding sheds light on the fact that increased Internet use is most strongly observed amongst 18-21 year old, single, well-educated persons. This cohort was also more likely to form part of the excessive users as opposed to average users of PIUs." (NC FA, 2015; pp. 6-7).