Insights into psychological characteristics of persons (not) agreeing to use an e-coach-application to reduce elevated Internet Use Disorder tendencies

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Date

2024-09-26

Authors

Montag, Christian
Elhai, Jon D.
Kannen, Christopher
Bischof, Anja
Brandt, Dominique
Schmidt, Hannah
Rozgonjuk, Dimitri
Rumpf, Hans-Jürgen

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publication Type

Wissenschaftlicher Artikel

Published in

Addictive Behaviors Reports, 2024

Abstract

The present work aims to shed light on the question of whether certain psychological characteristics go along with choosing an e-coach offer to support healthy Internet use when reporting elevated Internet Use Disorder (IUD) tendencies. Data were from a large-scale stepped care approach study to treat persons with varying degrees of IUD tendencies. Recruitment for advertising the download of a smartphone app included social media, videos by influencers, paid ads, TV, radio, newspapers, workshops, and vocational schools. We contrasted a final sample of 184 declining, 907 agreeing, and 216 agreeing but not providing follow-up details needed to use such an e-coach, as well as 995 who did not explicitly decline or agree to participate (but refrained from using the e-coach). Participants were compared on several study variables, including sociodemographics, mental health, fear of missing out, personality, perceived stress, and IUD tendencies. Interestingly, we observed only two significant findings when contrasting the aforementioned groups using ANOVA. First, the group not agreeing to use the e-coach was associated with the lowest IUD tendencies and highest conscientiousness scores. Second, agreeing to use the e-coach was associated with older age. Further significant differences could be observed, but in general the accompanying effect sizes were very mild. In sum, the present study findings support the idea that greater subjective burden of IUD might result in more willingness to seek e-help, but also the personality trait of conscientiousness and a person’s age might play a role here.

Description

Faculties

Fakultät für Ingenieurwissenschaften, Informatik und Psychologie

Institutions

Institut für Psychologie und Pädagogik

Citation

DFG Project uulm

EU Project THU

HyperQ / Quantum hyperpolarisation for ultrasensitive nuclear magnetic resonance and imaging / EC / H2020 / 856432

Other projects THU

SCAVIS / SCAVIS – Stepped Care Ansatz zur Versorgung internetbezogener Störungen / G-BA / 01NVF19031

License

CC BY 4.0 International

Is version of

Has version

Supplement to

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Erratum to

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Part of

DOI external

DOI external

10.1016/j.abrep.2024.100564

Institutions

Periodical

Degree Program

DFG Project THU

item.page.thu.projectEU

item.page.thu.projectOther

Series

Keywords

Internet Use Disorder, E-coach, Treatment, Therapy, Personality, Fear of missing out, DDC 150 / Psychology