The Dual Systems Model-Impulsivity and Narcissism as the Reflexive System and Self-Regulation as the Reflective System-of Smartphone Addiction.

The exploration of underlying mechanisms leading to the development of smartphone addiction has been limited, with only a few studies incorporating theories to provide explanations. Drawing upon the Dual Systems Model, this study tested the hypothesis that the reflective system of self-regulation would mediate the relation between the reflexive system of impulsivity and narcissism, and smartphone addiction in a sample of 298 undergraduate students. Participants completed a self-administrated web-based questionnaire containing measures of impulsivity (the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale), narcissism (the Narcissistic Personality Inventory), self-regulation (the Self-Regulation Scale), and smartphone addiction (the Smartphone Addiction Inventory). The findings from structural equation modeling revealed that self-regulation served as a significant mediator between impulsivity and smartphone addiction, as well as between narcissism and smartphone addiction. These findings offer insights that can contribute to the development of interventions and strategies that target impulsivity and narcissism by enhancing self-regulation skills.

Are Malaysian Youths Overdependent on the Internet?: A Narrative Review.

Overdependence on the internet is a grave concern that has enveloped Malaysian youths which could lead to a variety of sequelae. This narrative review aims to determine the definition of internet overdependence and its associated factors, as well as the potential preventive and treatment strategies for internet overdependence. From the literature, internet overdependence is regarded as a 3-factor model encompassing salience, self-control failure, and serious consequences. Sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity, as well as psychosocial factors such as depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness, were found to be associated with internet overdependence among Malaysian youths. A multimodal treatment approach is recommended by the implementation of various types of treatments, integrating disciplines such as pharmacology, psychotherapy, and family counseling. Despite various terminologies being used and unclear conceptualization of its nomenclature, overdependence on the internet is prevalent among youths in Malaysia. Future research should go toward establishing a clear definition of its terminology and attaining more robust evidence on treatment strategies.

Psychometric Properties of the Malay Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF-M): Evidence from a Sample of Malaysian Undergraduates.

In recent years, increased interest in Internet Gaming Disorder has led to the development of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form. Translation and subsequent validation of such a scale are important for cross-cultural use. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties (factor structure, reliability, and validity) of the Malay Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form using a sample of Malaysian undergraduates. The present sample included 137 Malaysian undergraduates. Participants completed a self-administered online survey containing demographic items, the Malay Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Malay Version of the Internet Addiction Test. The present findings confirm the one-factor model of the Malay Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form. Good reliability, as measured by Cronbach alpha, was found for the Malay Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form. The Malay Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form has demonstrated concurrent validity by significantly correlating with the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire-Short Form as well as demonstrated convergent validity with respect to the Malay Version of the Internet Addiction Test. The Malay Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form is a reliable and valid tool for assessing Internet Gaming Disorder in Malaysian undergraduates. As more research is still needed to confirm the status of Internet Gaming Disorder as a formal disorder, it is hoped that the Malay Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form can facilitate future research examining antecedents and consequences of Internet Gaming Disorder in a Malaysian setting.

Expert appraisal of criteria for assessing gaming disorder: an international Delphi study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Following the recognition of 'internet gaming disorder' (IGD) as a condition requiring further study by the DSM-5, 'gaming disorder' (GD) was officially included as a diagnostic entity by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). However, the proposed diagnostic criteria for gaming disorder remain the subject of debate, and there has been no systematic attempt to integrate the views of different groups of experts. To achieve a more systematic agreement on this new disorder, this study employed the Delphi expert consensus method to obtain expert agreement on the diagnostic validity, clinical utility and prognostic value of the DSM-5 criteria and ICD-11 clinical guidelines for GD. METHODS: A total of 29 international experts with clinical and/or research experience in GD completed three iterative rounds of a Delphi survey. Experts rated proposed criteria in progressive rounds until a pre-determined level of agreement was achieved. RESULTS: For DSM-5 IGD criteria, there was an agreement both that a subset had high diagnostic validity, clinical utility and prognostic value and that some (e.g. tolerance, deception) had low diagnostic validity, clinical utility and prognostic value. Crucially, some DSM-5 criteria (e.g. escapism/mood regulation, tolerance) were regarded as incapable of distinguishing between problematic and non-problematic gaming. In contrast, ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines for GD (except for the criterion relating to diminished non-gaming interests) were judged as presenting high diagnostic validity, clinical utility and prognostic value. CONCLUSIONS: This Delphi survey provides a foundation for identifying the most diagnostically valid and clinically useful criteria for GD. There was expert agreement that some DSM-5 criteria were not clinically relevant and may pathologize non-problematic patterns of gaming, whereas ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines are likely to diagnose GD adequately and avoid pathologizing.

The relations of internet and smartphone addictions to depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality among public university students in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study examined the cyber-psychological correlates of depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality among public university students in Klang Valley, Malaysia. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were randomly selected using multi-stage sampling methods from three public universities in the study location. Participants completed measures of internet and smartphone addictions, depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality, along with sociodemographic items. FINDINGS: At bivariate level, both internet and smartphone addictions were found to have significant positive correlations with depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality. At multivariate level, only internet addiction emerged as a consistent significant predictor for depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidality. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The present findings have implications for mental health professionals to routinely screen for psychological disturbance in young adults who have potential risks for internet addiction.

Including gaming disorder in the ICD-11: The need to do so from a clinical and public health perspective.

The proposed introduction of gaming disorder (GD) in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) has led to a lively debate over the past year. Besides the broad support for the decision in the academic press, a recent publication by van Rooij et al. (2018) repeated the criticism raised against the inclusion of GD in ICD-11 by Aarseth et al. (2017). We argue that this group of researchers fails to recognize the clinical and public health considerations, which support the WHO perspective. It is important to recognize a range of biases that may influence this debate; in particular, the gaming industry may wish to diminish its responsibility by claiming that GD is not a public health problem, a position which maybe supported by arguments from scholars based in media psychology, computer games research, communication science, and related disciplines. However, just as with any other disease or disorder in the ICD-11, the decision whether or not to include GD is based on clinical evidence and public health needs. Therefore, we reiterate our conclusion that including GD reflects the essence of the ICD and will facilitate treatment and prevention for those who need it.

Gaming disorder: Its delineation as an important condition for diagnosis, management, and prevention.

Online gaming has greatly increased in popularity in recent years, and with this has come a multiplicity of problems due to excessive involvement in gaming. Gaming disorder, both online and offline, has been defined for the first time in the draft of 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). National surveys have shown prevalence rates of gaming disorder/addiction of 10%-15% among young people in several Asian countries and of 1%-10% in their counterparts in some Western countries. Several diseases related to excessive gaming are now recognized, and clinics are being established to respond to individual, family, and community concerns, but many cases remain hidden. Gaming disorder shares many features with addictions due to psychoactive substances and with gambling disorder, and functional neuroimaging shows that similar areas of the brain are activated. Governments and health agencies worldwide are seeking for the effects of online gaming to be addressed, and for preventive approaches to be developed. Central to this effort is a need to delineate the nature of the problem, which is the purpose of the definitions in the draft of ICD-11.

Excessive internet use in young women: What are the implications?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There are considerable gender differences in youth engaging in excessive internet use (EIU). This review provides updates based on the recent literature focusing on the EIU in young women to describe its implications including what it constitutes of, its correlates, sequelae and preventive and/or treatment strategies. RECENT FINDINGS: Definition of EIU and its conceptualization still requires refinement. Recent studies indicate a changing trend towards female predominance of EIU. Women also differ in their internet use compared with men regarding their preference in the internet content and online activities, motives of use and factors related to access to the internet, including the device, sociocultural restrictions, etc. The correlates and sequelae of EIU encompass psychological, physical, biological, family and social domains that could form the basis of identifying individuals at risk and strategizing treatment. SUMMARY: The findings indicate the need for standardization in definition and measures of EIU for better recognition of EIU and identification of its at-higher-risk females. Effective preventive and treatment measures are still limited by various methodology flaws outlined here.

Measurement Invariance of the Internet Addiction Test Among Hong Kong, Japanese, and Malaysian Adolescents.

There has been increased research examining the psychometric properties on the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) in different populations. This population-based study examined the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the IAT in adolescents from three Asian countries. In the Asian Adolescent Risk Behavior Survey (AARBS), 2,535 secondary school students (55.9% girls) aged 12-18 years from Hong Kong (n=844), Japan (n=744), and Malaysia (n=947) completed a survey in 2012-2013 school year. A nested hierarchy of hypotheses concerning the IAT cross-country invariance was tested using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses. Replicating past findings in Hong Kong adolescents, the construct of the IAT is best represented by a second-order three-factor structure in Malaysian and Japanese adolescents. Configural, metric, scalar, and partial strict factorial invariance was established across the three samples. No cross-country differences on Internet addiction were detected at the latent mean level. This study provided empirical support for the IAT as a reliable and factorially stable instrument, and valid to be used across Asian adolescent populations.

Suicide among the youth in Malaysia: What do we know?

INTRODUCTION: This article aims to study the pattern of youth suicide cases in Malaysia, following which preventive actions can then be planned and practiced to reduce these suicide cases. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study looking at notifications of all suicides involving members of the youth population, as had been reported to National Suicide Registry Malaysia from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009. Information such as profile demographics and methods of suicide were utilized accordingly. RESULTS: There were 53 youths between the ages of 15 and 24 years reported to have undergone completed suicides. The suicide rate among youths was 1.03 per 100,000 populations in 2009, accounting for the male gender (66.0%), with Indians being the highest suicide completers (40.4% and 5.6 per 100,000 populations). The most common method of suicide was hanging (56.6%) followed by self-poisoning (15.1%). DISCUSSION: The suicide rate among Malaysian youth is relatively lower compared with other countries in the Asian region. Majority were male, of Indian descent, and were still in secondary school. Preventive actions need to be taken especially for specific groups such as the Indian youth.

Epidemiology of internet behaviors and addiction among adolescents in six Asian countries.

Internet addiction has become a serious behavioral health problem in Asia. However, there are no up-to-date country comparisons. The Asian Adolescent Risk Behavior Survey (AARBS) screens and compares the prevalence of Internet behaviors and addiction in adolescents in six Asian countries. A total of 5,366 adolescents aged 12-18 years were recruited from six Asian countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Participants completed a structured questionnaire on their Internet use in the 2012-2013 school year. Internet addiction was assessed using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Revised Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS-R). The variations in Internet behaviors and addiction across countries were examined. The overall prevalence of smartphone ownership is 62%, ranging from 41% in China to 84% in South Korea. Moreover, participation in online gaming ranges from 11% in China to 39% in Japan. Hong Kong has the highest number of adolescents reporting daily or above Internet use (68%). Internet addiction is highest in the Philippines, according to both the IAT (5%) and the CIAS-R (21%). Internet addictive behavior is common among adolescents in Asian countries. Problematic Internet use is prevalent and characterized by risky cyberbehaviors.

Pattern of suicides in 2009: data from the National Suicide Registry Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: The National Suicide Registry Malaysia (NSRM) is a nationwide system that captures data on completed suicides in Malaysia from all forensic departments under the purview of the Ministry of Health Malaysia. METHODS: This paper examines all suicidal deaths reported to the NSRM from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009. The relevant variables were recorded in the paper-based Case Report Form (CRF) and then entered into the online reporting system for analysis. RESULTS: The overall suicide rate for 2009 was 1.18 per 100,000 population (n = 328). The age range was 14-94 years, with a median of 37 (IQR 24) years. There were more men than women, the gender ratio being 2.9:1 (males : females), and the majority (89% or 293/328) were Malaysian citizens. Ethnicity-wise, Indians had the highest suicide rate of 3.67 per 100,000. The Malays and Bumiputera of Sabah and Sarawak had lower rates of 0.32 to 0.37 per 100,000. Mental illness was reported in 22% (72/328) of the cases and physical illnesses in 20.4% (67/328). Previous suicide attempts were reported in 15.5% (51/328) of cases. History of substance abuse was present in 28.7% (83/328). Life events were positive in 41.2% (135/328) of cases. DISCUSSION: Malaysia is able to generate statistics on suicide by enhancing the collaboration between forensic, psychiatry and clinical research agencies. These trends should be monitored to gain a better understanding of suicide trends.