A longitudinal study of adolescent internet addiction : The role of conscientiousness and classroom hostility
- Authors: Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Kuss, Daria , Griffiths, Mark , Motti-Stefanidi, Frosso
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Adolescent Research Vol. 31, no. 4 (2015), p. 442-473
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- Description: Over the last decade, research on Internet addiction (IA) has increased. However, almost all studies in the area are cross-sectional and do not examine the context in which Internet use takes place. Therefore, a longitudinal study examined the role of conscientiousness (as a personality trait) and classroom hostility (as a contextual factor) in the development of IA. The participants comprised 648 adolescents and were assessed over a 2-year period (while aged 16-18 years). A three-level hierarchical linear model was carried out on the data collected. Findings revealed that (a) lower conscientiousness was associated with IA and this did not change over time and (b) although being in a more hostile classroom did not initially have a significant effect, it increased girls’ IA vulnerability over time and functioned protectively for boys. Results indicated that the contribution of individual and contextual IA factors may differ across genders and over time. More specifically, although the protective effect of conscientiousness appeared to hold, the over-time effect of classroom hostility increased the risk of IA for girls. These findings are discussed in relation to the psychological literature. The study’s limitations and implications are also discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.
Recognizing internet addiction: Prevalence and relationship to academic achievement in adolescents enrolled in urban and rural Greek high schools
- Authors: Stavropoulos, Vasilis , Alexandraki, Kiriaki , Motti-Stefanidi, Frosso
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Adolescence Vol. 36, no. 3 (2013), p. 565-576
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- Description: This study aims: a) to estimate the prevalence of internet addiction among adolescents of urban and rural areas in Greece, b) to examine whether the Internet Addiction Test cut-off point is applicable to them and c) to investigate the phenomenon's association with academic achievement. Participants were 2090 adolescents (mean age 16, 1036 males, 1050 females). Young's (1998) Internet Addiction Test and her Diagnostic Questionnaire were applied. School records' grades were retrieved. A 3.1% prevalence revealed, while boys {F (1, 1642) = 6.207, p < .05}, urban residents {F (1, 1642) = 5.53, p > .05} and academic track high school students {F (1, 1642) = 5.30, p < .05} were at higher risk. An Internet Addiction Test score of 51 points (sample's mean = 27.69, SD = 17.38) was proposed as the optimal cut-off point combining high sensitivity (98%) and specificity (91%). Finally, findings illustrated the syndrome's relation to worse academic achievement {F (1, 1725) = 0.93, p > .05}.
Flow and Telepresence contributing to Internet Abuse : Differences according to gender and age
- Authors: Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Alexandraki, Kyriaki , Motti-Stefanidi, Frosso
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Computers in Human Behavior Vol. 29, no. 5 (2013), p. 1941-1948
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- Description: Flow describes immersive tendencies to Internet activities, and Telepresence defines the level one is absorbed in his virtual environment. The aim of this study was twofold: (a) to test whether and how Flow and Telepresence may contribute to Internet Abuse and (b) to examine group differences in Internet Abuse, Flow and Telepresence according to gender and age among adolescents. The sample consisted of 1609 adolescents, with a mean age of 16 years old. Internet Abuse was assessed with the Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1998), Flow with the Flow Questionnaire (Chen, Wigand, & Nilan, 1999) and Telepresence with the Presence II questionnaire (Witmer & Singer, 1998). Findings revealed that Flow and Telepresence were related with Internet Abuse with Telepresence positively moderating the effect of Flow. Considering group differences, males were at higher risk of Internet Abuse and were more likely to experience Flow and Telepresence, while older adolescents scored higher only in Telepresence. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Measurement invariance : The case of measuring romantic attachment in Greek and Cypriot adolescents
- Authors: Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Mastrotheodoros, Stefanos , Papapetrou, Stelios , Gomez, Rapson , Beard, Charlotte , Motti-Stefanidi, Frosso
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Developmental Psychology Vol. 16, no. 3 (2019), p. 362-371
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- Description: The experiences in close relationships revised (ECR-R) is widely used to assess romantic attachment dimensions. Investigating cultural limitations in its applicability is imperative. This study aims to examine the instrument’s: (1) factor structure in two large and normative samples of Greek (N = 1706, M age = 16.16; SD = 2.16; 49.7% male) and Cypriot (N = 1279; M age = 15.54; SD = 0.65; 44.9% male) adolescents; (2) measurement invariance between these groups, accounting for potential gender and age effects. Results supported the two-factor structure and indicated partial invariance of the constructs between Greek and Cypriot adolescents. Findings support limitations in the use of instruments adapted for Greece in Cyprus.
A multilevel longitudinal study of adolescent Internet addiction : The role of obsessive–compulsive symptoms and classroom openness to experience
- Authors: Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Gentile, Douglas , Motti-Stefanidi, Frosso
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Developmental Psychology Vol. 13, no. 1 (2016), p. 99-114
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- Description: Internet addiction (IA) in adolescence was longitudinally examined in relation to individual obsessive–compulsive symptoms and the personality trait of openness to experience (OTE) at the classroom level. The study consists of a two-point measure of a normative sample comprising 648 Greek adolescents (retention = 363, age 16–18 years, wave 1: age = 15.75 years, SD = 0.57, males = 46.2%, females = 53.8%). IA was assessed with the IA Test (Young, K. S. [1998]. Caught in the net: How to recognize the signs of internet addiction—And a winning strategy for recovery. New York, NY: Wiley), obsessive–compulsive symptoms with the Symptom check list 90 revised (Derogatis, L. R., & Savitz, K. L. [1999]. The SCL-90-R, brief symptom inventory, and matching clinical rating scales. In M. E. Maruish (Ed.), The use of psychological testing for treatment planning and outcomes assessment (2nd ed., pp. 679–724). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers) and OTE with the FFFK (Asendorpf, J. D., & van Aken, M. A. G. [2003]. Validity of big five personality judgments in childhood: A 9 year longitudinal study. European Journal of Personality, 17, 1–17). A three-level hierarchical linear model investigated individual- and classroom-level effects on IA score and its changes over time. The findings revealed that IA at the initial level was associated with the obsessive–compulsive symptoms of the individual and negatively related to classroom-level OTE. However, adolescents high on obsessive–compulsive symptoms in high on OTE classrooms presented higher IA scores over time. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.
Greek validation of the factor structure and longitudinal measurement invariance of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire-self report (SDQ-SR) : exploratory structural equation modelling
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Motti-Stefanidi, Frosso , Jordan, Scott , Stavropoulos, Vasileios
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Child Psychiatry and Human Development Vol. 52, no. 5 (2021), p. 880-890
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- Description: The study examined the factor structure and longitudinal measurement invariance over three time points (1-year apart) of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Self Report (SDQ-SR) for ratings provided by adolescents in Greece. It used exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) to achieve these two goals. At time point one, a total of 968 adolescents (males = 508, and females = 460) between 12 and 17.9 years completed the SDQ-SR. In relation to factor structure, ESEM tested the fit of one- to five-factor models. The findings were interpreted as indicating most support for the ESEM model with three factors (the factors being dysregulation, peer problems, and prosocial behaviour). This model showed support for configural invariance and full metric invariance across the three time points. Except for two thresholds, all other thresholds were also invariant across the three time points. Thus, there was good support for longitudinal measurement invariance. The implications of the findings for use of the SDQ-SR are discussed. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.