Internet addiction in Japanese college students : Is Japanese version of Internet Addiction Test （JIAT） useful as a screening tool?

摘要

Background: Due to lack of evidence of Internet addiction（ IA） in Japan, we investigated IA and examined the utility of the Japanese version of the Internet Addiction Test（ JIAT） for screening for IA in adolescents. Method: 299 college students were divided into two groups （Internet Addiction group: IAG and Non-Internet Addiction group: NIAG）. A self report questionnaire was employed. Results: The IAG showed more problematic Internet use and poorer mental health than the NIAG. The JIAT showed good reliability and validity. To identify IA, we set the cut-off of the JIAT at ＞ 53. Conclusions: 5．0% of Japanese college students were identified as internet addicted, and they exhibited poor mental health. The JIAT can be useful as a screening tool for IA.