Problematic Internet Use: Controversies and Implications for Practice
Course #76173 - $30 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Due to the widespread use of the Internet, some clinicians, scholars, and researchers have proposed that, as with any substance or behavior, it is possible to become addicted to the Internet or to pathologically use the Internet. This course will explore the definitions of Internet addiction, including a discussion of the controversial nature of a diagnostic label for Internet misuse. The course will also examine the scope and patterns of Internet usage and pathological Internet use among youths, college students, and adults in the United States and worldwide. Theoretical frameworks will be provided to help understand Internet addiction and its potential psychological, social, health, and mental health ramifications. Finally, assessment and practice implications will be explored for practitioners who are working with clients who may be struggling with Internet misuse behaviors.
- INTRODUCTION
- INTERNET USAGE PATTERNS
- INTERNET-RELATED PROBLEMS
- PROBLEMATIC INTERNET USE: DEFINITIONS AND CONTROVERSIES
- SCOPE OF PROBLEMATIC INTERNET USE
- THEORETICAL EXPLANATIONS FOR PROBLEMATIC INTERNET USE
- RISK FACTORS
- DIAGNOSIS
- ASSESSING PROBLEMATIC INTERNET USE
- CONSEQUENCES OF PROBLEMATIC INTERNET USE
- INTERVENTIONS FOR PROBLEMATIC INTERNET USE
- CONCLUSION
- Works Cited
This course is designed for social workers, therapists, mental health counselors, and other members of the interdisciplinary team who work with individuals who have problematic Internet behaviors.
The purpose of this course is to provide mental health professionals with the information necessary to identify pathologic Internet behaviors and provide interventions to halt problematic use of the Internet.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Discuss general Internet usage patterns.
- Define and identify types of problematic Internet use.
- Explain the current state of problematic Internet use research and barriers to improving knowledge.
- Describe characteristics of the Internet that make it susceptible to compulsive behaviors.
- Describe the prevalence of problematic Internet use.
- Compare the theoretical perspectives used to explain problematic Internet use.
- Identify risk factors for problematic Internet use.
- Identify the signs of problematic Internet use.
- Explain the social, familial, interpersonal, occupational, mental health, and physical consequences of problematic Internet use.
- Evaluate approaches to the treatment of problematic Internet use.
Alice Yick Flanagan, PhD, MSW, received her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University, School of Social Work. She has clinical experience in mental health in correctional settings, psychiatric hospitals, and community health centers. In 1997, she received her PhD from UCLA, School of Public Policy and Social Research. Dr. Yick Flanagan completed a year-long post-doctoral fellowship at Hunter College, School of Social Work in 1999. In that year she taught the course Research Methods and Violence Against Women to Masters degree students, as well as conducting qualitative research studies on death and dying in Chinese American families.
Previously acting as a faculty member at Capella University and Northcentral University, Dr. Yick Flanagan is currently a contributing faculty member at Walden University, School of Social Work, and a dissertation chair at Grand Canyon University, College of Doctoral Studies, working with Industrial Organizational Psychology doctoral students. She also serves as a consultant/subject matter expert for the New York City Board of Education and publishing companies for online curriculum development, developing practice MCAT questions in the area of psychology and sociology. Her research focus is on the area of culture and mental health in ethnic minority communities.
Contributing faculty, Alice Yick Flanagan, PhD, MSW, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
Supported browsers for Windows include Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 and up, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Supported browsers for Macintosh include Safari, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Other operating systems and browsers that include complete implementations of ECMAScript edition 3 and CSS 2.0 may work, but are not supported. Supported browsers must utilize the TLS encryption protocol v1.1 or v1.2 in order to connect to pages that require a secured HTTPS connection. TLS v1.0 is not supported.
The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.