Evaluation of an Internet addiction online Evaluation of an Internet addiction online self-help program
Abstract
Background: Online psychotherapy represents a legitimate psychotherapeutic intervention. A self-help program for people with internet addiction was launched on the website of the Department of Addictology, Charles University in Prague in 2011.
Objectives: We evaluate the on-line tool through analysis of the basic socio-demographic characteristics of its users, the nature of services used and the experience of its users, including any changes in their behavior. Method: Quantitative and qualitative methods of analyses of data obtained in the self-help program during the first nine months of its operation and use of the evaluation questionnaire.
Participants: 273 people who registered to the self-help program and 26 respondents who responded evaluation questionnaires. Results: Out of the 273 individuals who registered to the self-help program 47 did so with the intention to test the application, 129 women (47.3%) and 144 men (52.7%).
Almost half of the sample consisted of persons aged 19-24 years (46.5%), the second largest age group was people aged 25 to 34 years (26%). Half of the people who really wanted to change have secondary education (52.7%) and the third a college education (29.2%).
Two thirds of online program users, who wanted to change, were students or pupils (65%). Two-thirds of people (65%) completed anything of the motivational phase and of the phase of change.
Nineteen percent of users worked through the phase relapse prevention. Diary for monitoring phases of change established approximately half of the users; who also filled how many hours spent on risky online applications in the last seven days (51%), one third (34%) completed plan how they would like time to restrict online applications, and only 6% of users completed retrospectively how they managed to accomplish resolution.