Clinical profile of adolescents being treated for problematic internet use

Objectives: This study highlights the clinical profile of adolescents having consulted with an addiction treatment center (ATC) in Quebec for a problematic internet use (PIU) to develop knowledge about these specific clients and precisely target their needs relative to treatment. Method: The study was conducted with 80 adolescents between ages 14 and 17 (M = 15.59) who had consulted with an ACT for a PIU. Adolescents have participated in an interview documenting internet use patterns and their consequences, mental health disorder co-occurrence, and family and social relationships. Results: The sample was constituted of 75 boys (93.8%) and 5 girls (6.3%), who spent an average of 55.8 hours (SD = 27.22) per week on internet for non-school or professional activities. Almost all of these youths (97.5%) presented a co-occurring mental health disorder, and more than 70% had seeked help last year for a psychological problem. Results show that 92.6% feel their internet use significantly hinders their family relationships, and 50% feel it impedes their social relationships. Conclusions: This study shows the multiple difficulties experienced by adolescents in need of a treatment for their PIU. The presence of co-occurring mental health disorders and relational difficulties among them underlines the need to develop and implement in ACTs integrated assessments and treatments that target not only online activities, but also all of life domains that can be affected by PI