Regina J. J. M. van den Eijnden

Predicting compulsive Internet use : It's all about sex

The objective of this research was to assess the predictive power of various Internet applications on the development of compulsive Internet use (CIU). The study has a two-wave longitudinal design with an interval of 1 year. The first measurement contained 447 adult heavy Internet users who used the Internet at least 16 h per week and had Internet access at home for at least 1 year. For the second measurement, all participants were invited again, of whom 229 responded. By means of an online questionnaire, the respondents were asked about the time spent on various Internet applications and CIU. On a cross-sectional basis, gaming and erotica seem the most important Internet applications related to CIU. On a longitudinal basis, spending a lot of time on erotica predicted an increase in CIU 1 year later. The addictive potential of the different applications varies; erotica appears to have the highest potential.

Preventing heavy alcohol use in adolescents (PAS): cluster randomized trial of a parent and student intervention offered separately and simultaneously

AIMS To evaluate the effectiveness of two preventive interventions to reduce heavy drinking in first- and second-year high school students. DESIGN AND SETTING Cluster randomized controlled trial using four conditions for comparing two active interventions with a control group from 152 classes of 19 high schools in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS A total of 3490 first-year high school students (mean 12.68 years, SD=0.51) and their parents. Intervention conditions (i) Parent intervention (modelled on the Swedish Örebro Prevention Program) aimed at encouraging parental rule-setting concerning their childrens alcohol consumption; (ii) student intervention consisting of four digital lessons based on the principles of the theory of planned behaviour and social cognitive theory; (iii) interventions 1 and 2 combined; and (iv) the regular curriculum as control condition. Main outcome measures Incidence of (heavy) weekly alcohol use and frequency of monthly drinking at 10 and 22 months after baseline measurement. FINDINGS   A total of 2937 students were eligible for analyses in this study. At first follow-up, only the combined student-parent intervention showed substantial and statistically significant effects on heavy weekly drinking, weekly drinking and frequency of drinking. At second follow-up these results were replicated, except for the effects of the combined intervention on heavy weekly drinking. These findings were consistent across intention-to-treat and completers-only analyses. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that adolescents as well as their parents should be targeted in order to delay the onset of drinking, preferably prior to onset of weekly drinking.

Compulsive Internet Use Among Adolescents: Bidirectional Parent–Child Relationships

Although parents experience growing concerns about their children’s excessive internet use, little is known about the role parents can play to prevent their children from developing Compulsive Internet Use (CIU). The present study addresses associations between internet-specific parenting practices and CIU among adolescents, as well as the bidirectionality of these associations. Two studies were conducted: a cross-sectional study using a representative sample of 4,483 Dutch students and a longitudinal study using a self-selected sample of 510 Dutch adolescents. Results suggest that qualitatively good communication regarding internet use is a promising tool for parents to prevent their teenage children from developing CIU. Besides, parental reactions to excessive internet use and parental rules regarding the content of internet use may help prevent CIU. Strict rules about time of internet use, however, may promote compulsive tendencies. Finally, one opposite link was found whereby CIU predicted a decrease in frequency of parental communication regarding internet use.

Daily and Compulsive Internet Use and Well-Being in Adolescence: A Diathesis-Stress Model Based on Big Five Personality Traits

This study examined the associations between adolescents’ daily Internet use and low well-being (i.e., loneliness, low self-esteem, and depressive moods). We hypothesized that (a) linkages between high levels of daily Internet use and low well-being would be mediated by compulsive Internet use (CIU), and (b) that adolescents with low levels of agreeableness and emotional stability, and high levels of introversion would be more likely to develop CIU and lower well-being. Data were used from a sample of 7888 Dutch adolescents (11–21 years). Results from structural equation modeling analyses showed that daily Internet use was indirectly related to low well-being through CIU. In addition, daily Internet use was found to be more strongly related to CIU in introverted, low-agreeable, and emotionally less-stable adolescents. In turn, again, CIU was more strongly linked to loneliness in introverted, emotionally less-stable, and less agreeable adolescents.

Frequency and Quality of Parental Communication as Antecedents of Adolescent Smoking Cognitions and Smoking Onset

The present study examines whether aspects of parental communication about smoking function as antecedents of adolescent smoking cognitions. In this longitudinal full-family study (428 families), parent and adolescent reports were used to assess parental communication. Concepts of the Theory of Planned Behavior were measured among adolescents. Differences between older and younger siblings within the family were examined. Cross-sectionally, frequency and quality of communication were associated with smoking cognitions. Longitudinally, only quality of communication preceded smoking cognitions. This effect was mainly found for younger siblings. The results of this study emphasize the importance of quality of parental communication rather than frequency. Communication patterns based on mutual respect and equality help to prevent adolescent smoking onset.

Long-Term Effects of a Parent and Student Intervention on Alcohol Use in Adolescents: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND Early onset of drinking among Dutch adolescents is highly prevalent. A lower age of onset is associated with several developmental and social risks. PURPOSE To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of two preventive interventions targeting heavy drinking in third-year high school students. DESIGN Cluster RCT using four conditions for comparing two active interventions (separately and simultaneously) with a control group. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS 152 classes of 19 high schools in the Netherlands; 3490 first-year high school students (M=12.6 years, SD=0.49) and their parents. INTERVENTION (1) parent intervention aimed at encouraging restrictive parental rule-setting concerning their childrens alcohol consumption; (2) student intervention aimed at increasing self-control and healthy attitudes toward alcohol, consisting of four digital lessons based on the principles of the theory of planned behavior and social cognitive theory; (3) interventions 1 and 2 combined; and (4) the regular curriculum as control condition. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Incidence of (heavy) weekly alcohol use at 34 months (2009) after baseline measurement (2006). RESULTS There were 2937 students eligible for analyses in this study. At follow-up, only the combined student-parent intervention showed substantial and significant effects on heavy weekly and weekly drinking. CONCLUSIONS The short-term effects found in the present study further support that adolescents as well as their parents should be targeted in order to delay the onset of (heavy) drinking. TRIAL REGISTRATION NTR649.

An Introduction to Deviance-Regulation Theory: The Effect of Behavioral Norms on Message Framing

The authors introduce a social judgment framework they term deviance-regulation theory. This theory proposes that people self-regulate more on the basis of the perceived social consequences of deviating from behavioral norms than on the basis of the perceived social consequences of conforming to behavioral norms. The implications of this model were explored in the context of persuasive health communication. Four studies demonstrated that health communication had its greatest effects on behavioral intention and behavioral willingness when it associated images with deviant behavioral alternatives. Thus, when participants believed their peers made healthy decisions, they were most influenced by negatively framed communication that emphasized the undesirable attributes of people who made unhealthy decisions. In contrast, when they believed their peers made unhealthy decisions, they were most influenced by positively framed communication that emphasized the desirable attributes of people who made healthy decisions.

Video Game Addiction Test: Validity and Psychometric Characteristics

The study explores the reliability, validity, and measurement invariance of the Video game Addiction Test (VAT). Game-addiction problems are often linked to Internet enabled online games; the VAT has the unique benefit that it is theoretically and empirically linked to Internet addiction. The study used data (n=2,894) from a large-sample paper-and-pencil questionnaire study, conducted in 2009 on secondary schools in Netherlands. Thus, the main source of data was a large sample of schoolchildren (aged 13-16 years). Measurements included the proposed VAT, the Compulsive Internet Use Scale, weekly hours spent on various game types, and several psychosocial variables. The VAT demonstrated excellent reliability, excellent construct validity, a one-factor model fit, and a high degree of measurement invariance across gender, ethnicity, and learning year, indicating that the scale outcomes can be compared across different subgroups with little bias. In summary, the VAT can be helpful in the further study of video game addiction, and it contributes to the debate on possible inclusion of behavioral addictions in the upcoming DSM-V.

The Impact of Smoking and Drinking on Plasma Levels of Norharman

The hypothesized role of the beta-carboline norharman in processes of drug dependence forms the basis for several studies on plasma levels of norharman among substance-using populations, particularly among alcoholics and smokers. However, it is not clear whether norharman is implicated in processes of dependence to both substances, or only to tobacco smoke. In the present study plasma concentrations of norharman were measured among four groups of participants regarding heavy smokers who do or do not drink alcohol excessively and nonsmokers who do or do not drink alcohol excessively. All measurements were conducted on three different days with an interval of 2 months in between and at three times during the day to account for possible circadian or seasonal variations. Results showed that elevated plasma levels of norharman appear only in heavy smokers regardless of their drinking profile. The norharman plasma levels of nonsmoking excessive drinkers showed a similar pattern to that of the control group. The findings indicate that elevated plasma levels of norharman are due to heavy smoking and not to excessive drinking.

Parental Smoking and Smoking Behavior in Asthmatic and Nonasthmatic Adolescents

Background. Smoking may have serious consequences for asthmatics. Nevertheless, studies have shown that smoking behavior among asthmatics is similar to or even higher than that of nonasthmatics. Since the relationship between parental smoking and child smoking is well established, this study examined whether the association between parental and child smoking behavior is similar for asthmatic and nonasthmatic adolescents. The impact of parental smoking history was also explored. Methodology. A cross-sectional sample of 10,087 Dutch adolescents was used to assess the prevalence of asthma and smoking behavior. Moreover, respondents had to report whether one of their parents currently smoked, had stopped, or had never smoked. In case a parent was a former smoker, the respondent had to report his or her own age at the moment that the parent stopped smoking. Results. Logistic regression analyses showed that, compared with nonasthmatic adolescents, asthmatic adolescents were more likely to have smoking parents. Furthermore, similar associations were found between parental smoking and adolescent smoking among asthmatic and nonasthmatic adolescents. The time at which maternal smoking ceased was associated with a decreased likelihood for ever smoking for both asthmatic and nonasthmatic adolescents. Conclusions. Asthmatic adolescents need to become more aware of the health risks of smoking. Therefore, tailor-made antismoking campaigns are needed at schools to reduce misconceptions among asthmatic adolescents about the risks of smoking. In addition, a personal intervention approach aimed particularly at smoking parents of an asthmatic child, may make them aware of the consequences for their offspring and help them to stop smoking.