The association between internet-use-disorder symptoms and loneliness: a systematic review and meta-analysis with a categorical approach.

Loneliness may lead individuals to spend more time on the internet and increase the likelihood of experiencing internet-use disorders. Similarly, individuals with internet-use disorders may feel lonelier. In the present systematic review and meta-analysis, pre-registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023390483)...

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Publicado en:Psychological Medicine Vol. 55; pp. 1 - 12
Formato: meta analysis research systematic review tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Cambridge University Press 2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: 2025
      vid: 55
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      pub: Cambridge University Press
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        10.1017/S0033291725000376
        191245477
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        atl: The association between internet-use-disorder symptoms and loneliness: a systematic review and meta-analysis with a categorical approach.
      aug:
      sug:
        subj:
          Internet Addiction Psychosocial Factors
          Loneliness Psychosocial Factors
          Connecticut
          Human
          Systematic Review
          Meta Analysis
          PubMed
          Funding Source
          Technology Addiction
          Social Media
          Smartphone
      ab: Loneliness may lead individuals to spend more time on the internet and increase the likelihood of experiencing internet-use disorders. Similarly, individuals with internet-use disorders may feel lonelier. In the present systematic review and meta-analysis, pre-registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023390483), we quantified associations between internet-use-disorder symptoms (e.g. internet gaming disorder and online gambling disorder) and loneliness. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and an institutional database aggregator for references that compared degrees of loneliness in groups of individuals with and without symptoms of internet-use disorder. Means and standard deviations of loneliness, or alternatively, odds ratios, were transformed into Cohen's d for statistical pooling through a random-effects model. After screening 2,369 reports, we extracted data from 23 studies. The total number of individuals across the studies was 36,484. Participants were between 13 and 30 years of age (median 20). The pooled difference between those with and without internet-use-disorder symptoms yielded a standardized effect (Cohen's d) of 0.53 (95% CI 0.35–0.7). While heterogeneity was high, there was no indication of publication or small sample biases. Similar effect sizes were found when limiting to specific types of internet-use disorder symptoms. Moreover, meta-regressions did not show an effect of age, sex, or sample size. Individuals with symptoms of internet-use disorders scored 49.35 (43.84–54.85) points on the UCLA-Loneliness scale on average, compared to 43.78 (37.47–50.08) in individuals without symptoms of internet-use disorders (Standardized Mean Difference: 5.18, 95% CI = 2.05–8.34). Individuals with internet-use-disorder symptoms experience greater loneliness. The effect appears moderately sized.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        meta analysis
        research
        systematic review
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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