Home > Preventing harmful internet use-related addiction problems in Europe: a literature review and policy options.

Lopez-Fernandez, Olatz and Kuss, Daria J (2020) Preventing harmful internet use-related addiction problems in Europe: a literature review and policy options. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, (11), 3797. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17113797.

External website: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/11/3797

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.


Item Type
Article
Publication Type
International, Open Access, Review, Article
Drug Type
Behavioural addiction
Intervention Type
General / Comprehensive, Prevention
Date
27 May 2020
Identification #
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17113797
Publisher
MDPI
Volume
17
Number
11
EndNote

Repository Staff Only: item control page