J Korean Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.  2018 Apr;29(2):40-46. 10.5765/jkacap.2018.29.2.40.

A Preliminary Study on the Effectiveness of the Peer Relationship Enhancement Program in Adolescents at Risk for Internet and Smartphone Addiction

• Kim TH
• Jun YS
• Shin YT
• Lim SH
• Seo JW

• KMID: 2409858
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5765/jkacap.2018.29.2.40

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the preliminary effects of the Peer Relationship Enhancement Program in adolescents deemed to be in an at-risk group for Internet and smartphone addiction.
METHODS
The study group consisted of 33 adolescent participants (24 boys and 9 girls) at risk of Internet and smartphone addiction in small and medium-sized cities. The subjects participated in 8 consecutive sessions of the Peer Relationship Enhancement Program. The Korean Internet Addiction Proneness Scale, the Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale, the Real-Ideal Self Discrepancy Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Peer Intimacy Scale, and the Escaping from the Self Scale were evaluated before the initial and after the final session. A paired t-test was performed to statistically analyze the data.
RESULTS
The Peer Relationship Enhancement Program led to a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in self-reported measures of The Korean Internet Addiction Proneness Scale, the Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale, and the Real-Ideal Self Discrepancy Scale.
CONCLUSION
The Peer Relationship Enhancement Program reduces the risk of Internet and smartphone addiction and effectively prevents the associated problems.

Keyword

Internet addiction; Smartphone addiction; Adolescent; Peer Relationship Enhancement Program

MeSH Terms

Adolescent*
Humans
Internet*
Loneliness
Smartphone*
United Nations