TECH

Research warns of disruption in the use of the Internet

"Abusive behavior, whatever it is, and especially in adolescence, which is a place of all dangers because the identity is still in search of a path, should be considered a signal, a symptom that something is not going well" , said the researcher Otília Fernandes, clinical psychologist and one of the researchers responsible for the study.The teacher sees the results of the investigation "as warning signs especially for the young, who live glued to the smartphones and games."The study, entitled "Adding to the Internet: Relationship with Psychopathological Symptomatology and Personality", was developed by the psychologist Luís Afonso Ferreira, within the scope of the master's degree in Clinical Psychology, with guidance from the teachers and researchers of Otília Fernandes and Inês Relva.The study sampled 418 individuals from all over the country, 166 males and 252 females.UTAD said in a statement that the research "enhanced the addition to the Internet and its excessive and unregistered use as a precipitant factor for the development of pathological symptomatology at the level of depression, anxiety, hostility and interpersonal sensitivity."
At the same time, he warned of the need for "greater attention on the part of health professionals regarding the habits developed online and the individual's perception of their degree of addition."
In relation to personality, it was also demonstrated that "high neuroticism, characterized by emotional instability and low conscientiousness, characterized by lack of organization, discipline and rules, are strong predictors of Internet addiction."
The study also demonstrated that certain activities, such as video games and social networks, have a strong relation to the problem, as "activities related to immediate rewards and mechanisms of immersion, fantasy, socialization, competition and social recognition, among other factors that may serve as bait to individuals predisposed to the development of an addition. "
"It is not easy, but it is possible, if we take into account that any dependency is always a mask, which, like such, hides and reveals, often enough our willingness to be with the young person, "said Otília Fernandes.
The researcher considered that "sharing a problem is already a problem solved" and stated that "only restricting use is not enough".
"There are a lot of people who advocate restraint policies without being careful to keep up with policies of understanding, which is profoundly wrong," he said.



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