Testing the spectrum hypothesis of problematic online behaviors: A network analysis approach

Stéphanie Baggio; Vladan Starcevic; Joël Billieux; Daniel L King; Sally M Gainsbury; Guy D Eslick; David Berle

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107451

Testing the spectrum hypothesis of problematic online behaviors: A network analysis approach

Addict Behav. 2022 Dec:135:107451. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107451. Epub 2022 Jul 28.

Authors

Stéphanie Baggio¹, Vladan Starcevic², Joël Billieux³, Daniel L King⁴, Sally M Gainsbury⁵, Guy D Eslick⁶, David Berle⁷

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Division of Prison Health, Geneva University Hospitals & University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: stephanie.baggio@biham.unibe.ch.
² Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, Nepean Clinical School, Specialty of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Nepean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
³ Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland; Centre for Excessive Gambling, Addiction Medicine, Lausanne University Hospitals (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁴ College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁵ Faculty of Science, School of Psychology, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁶ NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Digestive Health, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
⁷ Discipline of Clinical Psychology, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

PMID: 35939963
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107451

Abstract

The validity of the constructs of problematic Internet or smartphone use and Internet or smartphone addiction has been extensively debated. The spectrum hypothesis posits that problematic online behaviors (POBs) may be conceptualized within a spectrum of related yet distinct entities. To date, the hypothesis has received preliminary support, and further robust empirical studies are still needed. The present study tested the spectrum hypothesis of POBs in an Australian community sample (n = 1,617) using a network analysis approach. Psychometrically validated self-report instruments were used to assess six types of POBs: problematic online gaming, cyberchondria, problematic cybersex, problematic online shopping, problematic use of social networking sites, and problematic online gambling. A tetrachoric correlation matrix was computed to explore relationships between online activities and a network analysis was used to analyze relationships between POBs. Correlations between online activities were positive and significant, but of small magnitude (0.051 ≤ r ≤ 0.236). The community detection analysis identified six distinct communities, corresponding to each POB, with strong relationships between items within each POB and weaker relationships between POBs. These findings provide further empirical support for the spectrum hypothesis, suggesting that POBs occur as distinct entities and with little overlap.

Keywords: Behavioral addictions; Network analysis; Problematic online behaviors.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Australia / epidemiology
Behavior, Addictive* / diagnosis
Behavior, Addictive* / epidemiology
Gambling* / epidemiology
Humans
Internet
Internet Addiction Disorder / epidemiology
Video Games*