Internet Addiction in Psychotherapy

137 Pages·2015·0.85 MB·English

by  Daria J. Kuss

Internet Addiction in Psychotherapy
DOI: 10.1057/9781137465078.0001
Palgrave Studies in Cyberpsychology
Series Editor: Jens Binder, Nottingham Trent University, UK
Titles include
Daria J. Kuss and Mark D. Griffiths
INTERNET ADDICTION IN PSYCHOTHERAPY
John Waterworth and Giuseppe Riva
FEELING PRESENT IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD AND COMPUTER MEDIATED
ENVIRONMENTS
Sandy Schumann
HOW THE INTERNET SHAPES COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
Christian Happ & Andre Melzer
EMPATHY AND VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES
Palgrave Studies in Cyberpsychology
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137465078.0001
Internet Addiction in
Psychotherapy
Daria J. Kuss
Nottingham Trent University, UK
and
Mark D. Griffiths
Nottingham Trent University, UK
DOI: 10.1057/9781137465078.0001
© Daria J. Kuss and Mark D. Griffiths 2015
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-46506-1
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication
may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
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Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2015 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
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ISBN: 978–1–137–46507–8 PDF

ISBN: 978-1-349-49939-7
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
www.palgrave.com/pivot
doi: 10.1057/9781137465078
Our thanks go out to those individuals who have made
this book possible with their scholarly and emotional
support of the research and writing process.
Moreover, we would like to express our thanks to the
participants who have keenly shared their experience and
therapeutic wisdom. Thank you and vielen herzlichen
Dank!
DOI: 10.1057/9781137465078.0001
Contents
Personal Acknowledgments viii
1 Internet Addiction: What Is It? 1
2 Internet Addiction Treatment:
The Therapists’ View 6
Methods 10
Participants 10
Interviews 12
Analyses 12
Results 14
3 Internet Addiction: Risk 15
Individual risk factors 16
Age as risk factor 16
Gender as risk factor 20
Profile as risk factor 25
Situational risk factors 30
Neglect as risk factor 30
Student life as risk factor 34
Triggers as risk factors 35
Structural risk factors 37
vi DOI: 10.1057/9781137465078.0001
Contents vii
4 Internet Addiction: A Real Addiction? 54
Symptoms and criteria 55
Salience 55
Tolerance 58
Mood modification 59
Loss of control 60
Withdrawal 61
Denial and concealment 64
Problems and conflict 66
Relapse 75
Diagnosis 76
Comorbidities 76
Internet addiction diagnosis 81
Primary disorder 85
Same but different 88
5 Internet Addiction: Real-Life Implications 105
References 115
Index 125
DOI: 10.1057/9781137465078.0001
Personal Acknowledgments
Our thanks go to Tina, who did not shy away from back-
translations and in the process increased the scientific
soundness of this research.
We would also like to thank Gillian and Jens for their
editorial support.
viii DOI: 10.1057/9781137465078.0002
1
Internet Addiction: What Is It?
Abstract: Internet addiction is a behavioural problem that
has gained increasing scientific recognition in the last decade,
with some researchers claiming it is a “21st Century epidemic”.
The classification of Internet addiction has been problematic
ever since the term’s conception in the mid-1990s. In an effort
to provide consensus and clarity in the area, the American
Psychiatric Association (APA) proposed the inclusion of
Internet Gaming Disorder in the revised fifth edition of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders
(DSM-5), although this has led to greater confusion as Internet
Gaming Disorder is arguably a sub-type of Internet addiction
and/or a sub-type of video game addiction. This chapter
provides a brief overview of the current scientific knowledge
on Internet addiction, including diagnosis, risk factors, and
neurobiological underpinnings.
Keywords: diagnosis; definition; Internet addiction;
research; terminology
Daria J. Kuss and Mark D. Griffiths. Internet Addiction in
Psychotherapy. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.
doi: 10.1057/9781137465078.0003.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137465078.0003 1