TY - JOUR
T1 - Problematic mobile phone use in adolescence: A cross-sectional study
AU - Martinotti, Giovanni
AU - Villella, Corrado
AU - Di Thiene, D
AU - Di Nicola, Marco
AU - Bria, Pietro
AU - Conte, Gianluigi
AU - Cassano, M
AU - Petruccelli, F
AU - Corvasce, N
AU - Janiri, Luigi
AU - La Torre, G.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Aim: In recent years, mobile phone use has become increasingly common among Italian youth, while a growing scientific literature has been identifying the occurrence of a problematic mobile phone use which seems to share some features of other conditions often referred to as behavioural addictions. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of problematic mobile phone use in a population of Italian adolescents and its association with other behavioural addictions. Subjects and methods: The Mobile Addiction Test (MAT) was administered to 2,790 high school students from Barletta, an Italian town, together with the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA), the Compulsive Buying Scale (CBS), the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI), the Work Addiction Risk Test (WART). Results: MAT scores fitted a Gaussian distribution model. Scores ≥ 17 was found as a cut-off value over which identifying problematic mobile phone users. Overall prevalence of problematic mobile phone use was 6.3%; this condition was associated with other behavioural addictions like compulsive buying. Conclusion: Problematic mobile phone use in adolescence should become a public health issue, and it could be a cause of health problems and social costs.
AB - Aim: In recent years, mobile phone use has become increasingly common among Italian youth, while a growing scientific literature has been identifying the occurrence of a problematic mobile phone use which seems to share some features of other conditions often referred to as behavioural addictions. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of problematic mobile phone use in a population of Italian adolescents and its association with other behavioural addictions. Subjects and methods: The Mobile Addiction Test (MAT) was administered to 2,790 high school students from Barletta, an Italian town, together with the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA), the Compulsive Buying Scale (CBS), the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI), the Work Addiction Risk Test (WART). Results: MAT scores fitted a Gaussian distribution model. Scores ≥ 17 was found as a cut-off value over which identifying problematic mobile phone users. Overall prevalence of problematic mobile phone use was 6.3%; this condition was associated with other behavioural addictions like compulsive buying. Conclusion: Problematic mobile phone use in adolescence should become a public health issue, and it could be a cause of health problems and social costs.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Behavioural addictions
KW - Information and communication technologies
KW - Mobile phones
KW - Adolescence
KW - Behavioural addictions
KW - Information and communication technologies
KW - Mobile phones
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/8735
M3 - Article
SP - 545
EP - 551
JO - Journal of Public Health
JF - Journal of Public Health
SN - 1741-3842
ER -