IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i11p3797-d363524.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Preventing Harmful Internet Use-Related Addiction Problems in Europe: A Literature Review and Policy Options

Author

Listed:
  • Olatz Lopez-Fernandez

    (Monash Addiction Research Centre, Turning Point, Easter Health Clinical School, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia)

  • Daria J. Kuss

    (International Gaming Research Unit, Cyberpsychology Research Group, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK)

Abstract

Internet use-related addiction problems are increasingly being recognized on a European scale due to international health organizations considering gaming addiction. In April 2013, the American Psychiatric Association recognized Internet Gaming Disorder in the fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and in April 2018, the World Health Organization included Gaming Disorder in the eleventh International Classification of Diseases. However, findings on these problems within this period are lacking in Europe, and a preventive approach is missing globally. A detailed critical literature review was conducted using PsycINFO and Web of Science in this five-year period. A total of 19 studies were reviewed and problems identified were: generalized Internet addiction and online gaming and gambling addictions across seven European countries (i.e., Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, The Netherlands, and Denmark). The individuals with problematic use were found to be educated adolescents, usually young males with comorbid disorders, and gaming and gambling disorders were implicated in the most severe cases. Cognitive behavioral therapy was the main treatment, sometimes combined with a systemic approach for adolescents. Prevalence, high-risk populations, and factors contributing to these addiction problems are discussed, and a set of policy options are developed for this region. The implications for early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in Europe are considered.

Suggested Citation

  • Olatz Lopez-Fernandez & Daria J. Kuss, 2020. "Preventing Harmful Internet Use-Related Addiction Problems in Europe: A Literature Review and Policy Options," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:11:p:3797-:d:363524
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/11/3797/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/11/3797/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Olatz Lopez-Fernandez, 2018. "Generalised Versus Specific Internet Use-Related Addiction Problems: A Mixed Methods Study on Internet, Gaming, and Social Networking Behaviours," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-33, December.
    2. Vega González-Bueso & Juan José Santamaría & Daniel Fernández & Laura Merino & Elena Montero & Joan Ribas, 2018. "Association between Internet Gaming Disorder or Pathological Video-Game Use and Comorbid Psychopathology: A Comprehensive Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-20, April.
    3. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    4. Soo-Hyun Paik & Hyun Cho & Ji-Won Chun & Jo-Eun Jeong & Dai-Jin Kim, 2017. "Gaming Device Usage Patterns Predict Internet Gaming Disorder: Comparison across Different Gaming Device Usage Patterns," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-14, December.
    5. Olatz Lopez-Fernandez & Daria J. Kuss & Halley M. Pontes & Mark D. Griffiths & Christopher Dawes & Lucy V. Justice & Niko Männikkö & Maria Kääriäinen & Hans-Jürgen Rumpf & Anja Bischof & Ann-Kathrin G, 2018. "Measurement Invariance of the Short Version of the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire (PMPUQ-SV) across Eight Languages," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Olatz Lopez-Fernandez & Lucia Romo & Laurence Kern & Amélie Rousseau & Pierluigi Graziani & Lucien Rochat & Sophia Achab & Daniele Zullino & Nils Inge Landrø & Juan José Zacarés & Emilia Serra & Maria, 2022. "Perceptions Underlying Addictive Technology Use Patterns: Insights for Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Olatz Lopez-Fernandez, 2021. "Emerging Health and Education Issues Related to Internet Technologies and Addictive Problems," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-19, January.
    3. Concetta De Pasquale & Federica Sciacca & Valentina Martinelli & Matteo Chiappedi & Carmela Dinaro & Zira Hichy, 2020. "Relationship of Internet Gaming Disorder with Psychopathology and Social Adaptation in Italian Young Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-8, November.
    4. Steve Sussman & Deborah Louise Sinclair, 2022. "Substance and Behavioral Addictions, and Their Consequences among Vulnerable Populations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-5, May.
    5. Melina A. Throuvala & Mark D. Griffiths & Mike Rennoldson & Daria J. Kuss, 2021. "Perceived Challenges and Online Harms from Social Media Use on a Severity Continuum: A Qualitative Psychological Stakeholder Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-26, March.
    6. Jensen Deutrom & Vasilis Katos & Mohamed Basel Al-Mourad & Raian Ali, 2022. "The Relationships between Gender, Life Satisfaction, Loneliness and Problematic Internet Use during COVID-19: Does the Lockdown Matter?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-14, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sergey Tereshchenko & Edward Kasparov & Nadezhda Semenova & Margarita Shubina & Nina Gorbacheva & Ivan Novitckii & Olga Moskalenko & Ludmila Lapteva, 2022. "Generalized and Specific Problematic Internet Use in Central Siberia Adolescents: A School-Based Study of Prevalence, Age–Sex Depending Content Structure, and Comorbidity with Psychosocial Problems," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-19, June.
    2. Jorge Oceja & Víctor J. Villanueva-Blasco & Andrea Vázquez-Martínez & Verónica Villanueva-Silvestre & Susana Al-Halabí, 2023. "Keep Playing or Restart? Questions about the Evaluation of Video Game Addiction from a Systematic Review in the Context of COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-13, January.
    3. Turgut Karakose & Tijen Tülübaş & Stamatios Papadakis, 2022. "Revealing the Intellectual Structure and Evolution of Digital Addiction Research: An Integrated Bibliometric and Science Mapping Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-27, November.
    4. Samira Bouazza & Samira Abbouyi & Soukaina El Kinany & Karima El Rhazi & Btissame Zarrouq, 2023. "Association between Problematic Use of Smartphones and Mental Health in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-18, February.
    5. İlkay Unay-Gailhard & Mark A. Brennen, 2022. "How digital communications contribute to shaping the career paths of youth: a review study focused on farming as a career option," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(4), pages 1491-1508, December.
    6. Mahin Ghafari & Vali Baigi & Zahra Cheraghi & Amin Doosti-Irani, 2016. "The Prevalence of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Iranian Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-10, June.
    7. Elizabeth T Cafiero-Fonseca & Andrew Stawasz & Sydney T Johnson & Reiko Sato & David E Bloom, 2017. "The full benefits of adult pneumococcal vaccination: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, October.
    8. Santos Urbina & Sofía Villatoro & Jesús Salinas, 2021. "Self-Regulated Learning and Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments in Higher Education: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-12, June.
    9. Oded Berger-Tal & Alison L Greggor & Biljana Macura & Carrie Ann Adams & Arden Blumenthal & Amos Bouskila & Ulrika Candolin & Carolina Doran & Esteban Fernández-Juricic & Kiyoko M Gotanda & Catherine , 2019. "Systematic reviews and maps as tools for applying behavioral ecology to management and policy," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 30(1), pages 1-8.
    10. Nadine Desrochers & Adèle Paul‐Hus & Jen Pecoskie, 2017. "Five decades of gratitude: A meta‐synthesis of acknowledgments research," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 68(12), pages 2821-2833, December.
    11. Maryono, Maryono & Killoes, Aditya Marendra & Adhikari, Rajendra & Abdul Aziz, Ammar, 2024. "Agriculture development through multi-stakeholder partnerships in developing countries: A systematic literature review," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    12. Alene Sze Jing Yong & Yi Heng Lim & Mark Wing Loong Cheong & Ednin Hamzah & Siew Li Teoh, 2022. "Willingness-to-pay for cancer treatment and outcome: a systematic review," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(6), pages 1037-1057, August.
    13. Xue-Ying Xu & Hong Kong & Rui-Xiang Song & Yu-Han Zhai & Xiao-Fei Wu & Wen-Si Ai & Hong-Bo Liu, 2014. "The Effectiveness of Noninvasive Biomarkers to Predict Hepatitis B-Related Significant Fibrosis and Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Test Accuracy," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(6), pages 1-16, June.
    14. Vicente Miñana-Signes & Manuel Monfort-Pañego & Javier Valiente, 2021. "Teaching Back Health in the School Setting: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-18, January.
    15. Agnieszka A. Tubis & Katarzyna Grzybowska, 2022. "In Search of Industry 4.0 and Logistics 4.0 in Small-Medium Enterprises—A State of the Art Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-26, November.
    16. Obsa Urgessa Ayana & Jima Degaga, 2022. "Effects of rural electrification on household welfare: a meta-regression analysis," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 69(2), pages 209-261, June.
    17. Caloffi, Annalisa & Colovic, Ana & Rizzoli, Valentina & Rossi, Federica, 2023. "Innovation intermediaries' types and functions: A computational analysis of the literature," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    18. García-Poole, Chloe & Byrne, Sonia & Rodrigo, María José, 2019. "How do communities intervene with adolescents at psychosocial risk? A systematic review of positive development programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 194-209.
    19. Jie Zhao & Ji Chen & Damien Beillouin & Hans Lambers & Yadong Yang & Pete Smith & Zhaohai Zeng & Jørgen E. Olesen & Huadong Zang, 2022. "Global systematic review with meta-analysis reveals yield advantage of legume-based rotations and its drivers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    20. Qing Ye & Bao-Xin Qian & Wei-Li Yin & Feng-Mei Wang & Tao Han, 2016. "Association between the HFE C282Y, H63D Polymorphisms and the Risks of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Liver Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis o," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(9), pages 1-17, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:11:p:3797-:d:363524. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.