Application use,Online Relationship Types,Self-Disclosure,and Internet Abuse among Children and Youth: Implications for Education and Internet Safety Programs
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online July, 2011
Application use,Online Relationship Types,Self-Disclosure,and Internet Abuse among Children and Youth: Implications for Education and Internet Safety Programs
This study explores the relationships between Internet abuse (IA)—self-disclosure, online application usage, and relationship types—traditional long-distance, purely virtual, and migratory mixed-mode. An online questionnaire was administered to 2884 children and youth. According to the hypotheses, applications differed in their relationships with participant IA and self-disclosure: the usage of some applications was related to both IA and self-disclosure; the usage of others related only to IA or neither to IA nor self-disclosure. IA and self-disclosure correlated with problematic participant online activities (e.g., sending photos of one to online acquaintances, visiting sites with inappropriate contents), but did not affect educational activities (e.g., studying online with classmates, preparing homework, or getting information). Participants reported the highest level of online communication in traditional long-distance relationships, lower level in purely virtual, and the lowest level in migratory mixed-mode relationships. Participant IA and self-disclosure positively influenced online communication, but not interactions with the relationship type.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AboujaoudeE.KoranL. M.GamelN.LargeM. D., & SerpeR. T. (2006). Potential markers for problematic internet use: A telephone survey of 2,513 adults. CNS Spectrums, 11, 750–755. Retrieved September 3, 2010, from http://www.cnsspectrums.com/aspx/articledetail.aspx?articleid=648
2.
AltmanI., & TaylorD. A. (1973). Social penetration: The development of interpersonal relationships. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
3.
ArcherJ. L. (1980). Self-disclosure. In WegnerD. & VallacherR. (Eds.), The self in social psychology (pp. 183–204). London: Oxford University Press.
4.
BarakA., & BlochN. (2006). Factors related to perceived helpfulness in supporting highly distressed individuals through an online support chat. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9, 60–68.
5.
BarakA., & Gluck-OfriO. (2007). Degree and reciprocity of self-disclosure in online forums. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10, 407–417.
6.
BarakA., & SulerJ. (2008). Reflections on the psychology and social science of Cyberspace. In BarakA. (Ed.), Psychological aspects of cyberspace: Theory, research, applications (pp. 1–12). New York: Cambridge University Press.
7.
BeardK. W., & WolfE. M. (2001). Modification in the proposed diagnosis criteria for Internet addiction. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 4, 377–383.
8.
BlauI.MorN., & NeuthalT. (2009). Open the windows of communication: Promoting interpersonal and group interactions using blogs in higher education. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 5, 233–246.
9.
CaplanS. E. (2005). A social skill account of problematic Internet use. Journal of Communication, 55, 721–736.
10.
CastiglioneJ. (2008). Internet abuse and possible addiction among undergraduates: A developing concern for library and university administrators. Library Review, 57, 358–371.
11.
CharltonJ. P., & DanforthI. D. W. (2004). Differentiating computer-related addictions and high engagement. In MorganK.BrebbiaC. A.SanchezJ., & VoiskounskyA. (Eds.), Human perspectives in the Internet society: Culture, psychology and gender (pp. 59–68). Southampton, UK: WIT Press.
12.
CharltonJ. P., & DanforthD. W. (2007). Distinguishing addiction and high engagement in the context of online game playing. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 1531–1548.
13.
ChouC., & HsiaoM.-C. (2000). Internet addiction, usage, gratification, and pleasure experience: The Taiwan college students' case. Computers & Education, 35, 65–80.
14.
CooperA.Morahan-MartinJ.MathyR., & MaheuM. (2002). Toward an increased understanding of user demographics in online sexual activities. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28, 105–129.
15.
DavisR. A. (2001). A cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet use. Computers in Human Behavior, 17, 187–195.
16.
DerlegaV. J.MettsS.PetronioS., & MargulisS. T. (1993). Self disclosure. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
17.
DindiaK. (2002). Self-disclosure research: Knowledge through meta-analysis. In AllenM.PreissR. W.GayleB. M., & BurrellN. (Eds.), Interpersonal communication research: Advances through meta-analysis (pp. 169–186). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
18.
JohanssonA., & GötestamK. G. (2004). Internet addiction: Characteristics of a questionnaire and prevalence in Norwegian youth (12–18 years). Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 45, 223–229.
19.
JoinsonA. N. (2001a). Knowing me, knowing you: Reciprocal self disclosure and Internet-based surveys. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 4, 587–591.
20.
JoinsonA. N. (2001b). Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of self-awareness and visual anonymity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 177–192.
21.
JoinsonA. N., & PaineC. B. (2007). Self-disclosure, privacy and the Internet. In JoinsonA.McKennaK. Y. A.PostmesT., & ReipsU. D. (Eds.), Oxford handbook of Internet psychology (pp. 237–252). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
22.
Kaltiala-HeinoR.LintonenT., & RimpeläA. (2004). Internet addiction? Potentially problematic use of the internet in a population of 12–18 year old adolescents. Addiction Research and Theory, 12, 89–96.
23.
KandellJ. J. (1998). Internet addiction on campus: The vulnerability of college students. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1, 11–17.
24.
KubeyR. W.LavinM. J., & BarrowsJ. R. (2001). Internet use and collegiate academic performance decrements: Early findings. Journal of Communication, 51, 366–382.
25.
Lapidot-LeflerN. (2009). An examination of the impact of anonymity, invisibility, and lack of eye-contact on inducing the online disinhibition effect. Doctoral dissertation. Department of Counseling & Human Development, University of Haifa, Israel. [in Hebrew].
26.
LaRoseR.LinC. A., & EastinM. S. (2003). Unregulated Internet usage: Addiction, habit or deficient self-regulation?Media Psychology, 5, 225–253.
27.
LeungL. (2001). College student motives for chatting on “ICQ.”New Media and Society, 3, 1–19.
LinS., & TsaiC. C. (2002). Sensation seeking and internet dependence of Taiwanese high school adolescents. Computers in Human Behavior, 18, 411–426.
30.
MartinM. M., & AndersonC. M. (1995). The father-young adult relationship: Interpersonal motives, self-disclosure, and satisfaction. Communication Quarterly, 43, 119–130.
31.
McCoydJ. L. M., & SchwaberKerson T. (2006). Conducting intensive interviews using email: A serendipitous comparative opportunity. Qualitative Social Work, 5, 389–406.
32.
McKennaK. Y. A., & BarghJ. A. (2000). Plan 9 from cyberspace: The implications of the Internet for personality and social psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 57–75.
33.
MooreD. W. (1995). The emperor's virtual clothes: The naked truth about the Internet culture. Chapel Hill, NC: Alonquin.
Morahan-MartinJ. (2005). Internet abuse: Addiction? Disorder? Symptom? Alternative explanations?Social Science Computer Review, 23, 39–48.
36.
Morahan-MartinJ. (2008). Internet abuse: Emerging trends and lingering questions. In BarakA. (Ed.), Psychological aspects of cyberspace: Theory, research, applications (pp. 32–69). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
37.
Morahan-MartinJ., & SchumacherP. (2000). Incidence and correlates of pathological Internet use among college students. Computers in Human Behavior, 16, 13–29.
38.
Morahan-MartinJ., & SchumacherP. (2003). Loneliness and social uses of the Internet. Computers in Human Behavior, 19, 659–671.
39.
MorganC., & CottenS. R. (2003). The relationship between activities and depressive symptoms in a sample of college freshmen. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 6, 133–142.
40.
MyersS. A., & JohnsonA. D. (2004). Perceived solidarity, self-disclosure, and trust in organizational peer relationships. Communication Research Reports, 21, 75–83.
41.
PornsakulvanichV. (2005). Testing a uses and gratifications model of online relationships. Doctoral dissertation. College of Communication and Information, Kent State University.
42.
RabbyM. K., & WaltherJ. B. (2003). Computer-mediated communication impacts on relationship formation and maintenance. In CanaryD. & DaintonM. (Eds.), Maintaining relationships through communication: Relational, contextual, and cultural variations (pp. 141–162). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
43.
RollmanB., & ParenteF. (2001). Relation of statement length and type and type of chat room reciprocal communication on the Internet. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 4, 617–622.
44.
SillenceE., & BriggsP. (2007). Please advise: Using the Internet for health and financial advice. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 727–748.
45.
StaffordL. (2005). Maintaining long-distance and cross-residential relationships. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
ThatcherA., & GoolamS. (2005). Development and psychometric properties of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire. South African Journal of Psychology, 35, 793–809.
48.
TurkleS. (1995). Life on the screen. New York: Simon & Schuster.
49.
YbarraM. L.MitchellK. J.WolakJ., & FinkelhorD. (2006). Examining characteristics and associated distress related to Internet harassment: Findings from the second youth Internet safety survey. Pediatrics, 118, 1169–1177.
YoungK. S. (1996, August). Internet addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder. Paper presented at the 104th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.
52.
YoungK. S. (1998). Internet addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1, 237–244.
53.
WaltherJ. B., & ParksM. R. (2002). Cues filtered out, cues filtered in: Computermediated communication and relationships. In KnappM. L. & DalyJ. A. (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal communication (pp. 529–563). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
54.
WartellaE.O'KeefeB., & ScantlinR. (2000, May). Children and interactive media: A compendium of current research and directions for the future. New York: Markle Foundation.
55.
WheelessL. R. (1978). A follow-up study of the relationships among trust, disclosure, and interpersonal solidarity. Human Communication Research, 4, 143–157.
56.
WheelessL. R., & GrotzJ. (1976). Conceptualization and measurement of reported self-disclosure. Human Communication Research, 2, 338–346.
57.
WheelessL. R.NesserK., & McCroskeyJ. C. (1986). The relationships of self disclosure and disclosivenesss to high and low communication apprehension. Communication Research Reports, 3, 129–134.
