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. 2008 May;44(3):655-65.
doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.44.3.655.

Online communication, compulsive Internet use, and psychosocial well-being among adolescents: a longitudinal study

Regina J J M van den Eijnden  1 , Gert-Jan Meerkerk, Ad A Vermulst, Renske Spijkerman, Rutger C M E Engels
Affiliations

Online communication, compulsive Internet use, and psychosocial well-being among adolescents: a longitudinal study

Regina J J M van den Eijnden et al. Dev Psychol. 2008 May.

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationships between adolescents' online communication and compulsive Internet use, depression, and loneliness. The study had a 2-wave longitudinal design with an interval of 6 months. The sample consisted of 663 students, 318 male and 345 female, ages 12 to 15 years. Questionnaires were administered in a classroom setting. The results showed that instant messenger use and chatting in chat rooms were positively related to compulsive Internet use 6 months later. Moreover, in agreement with the well-known HomeNet study (R. Kraut et al., 1998), instant messenger use was positively associated with depression 6 months later. Finally, loneliness was negatively related to instant messenger use 6 months later.

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