Risk Factors of Internet Troubles and Mild delinquency in Japanese Junior High School Students

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

Troubles on the internet (internet troubles, such as troubles with others) have been increasing and becoming a more serious problem in Japanese junior high schools. Regarding internet troubles, in addition to troubles with others, this study includes items about meeting an unknown person in person through internet communication as internet troubles, because this behavior is considered to contain risks for junior high school students. Teachers of junior high school mentioned internet troubles as a part of problem behavior, such as mild delinquency, because internet troubles required the teachers to provide student guidance. There are possibilities that there are students who experienced both mild delinquency and internet troubles and common risk factors between them. Therefore, this study focused on not only both behaviors but also on the overlapping of the behaviors and the risk factors from lifestyle factors (e.g., sleeping duration), parent-child relationships, school factors (e.g., enjoyment of school), and individual factors (e.g., self-control).
A questionnaire survey was administrated to 2063 junior high school students (1052 boys, 661 first years, 705 second years, 704 third years) and the students who had any experiences of internet troubles or mild delinquency were extracted. There were 961 students (448 boys) of all participants that were extracted, and they were divided into three groups, 1) those who experienced only internet troubles (429 students), 2) those who experienced only mild delinquency (242 students), and 3) those who experienced both (290 students).These three groups were then compared.
Girls experienced only internet troubles more than boys (155 boys and 272 girls), and third year students experienced more than lower year students (100 first years, 151 second years, 178 third years). Boys experienced only mild delinquency more than girls (157 boys, 82 girls), and there were no differences between school years (72 students, 84 students, 84 students, respectively). 136 male students and 154 female students experienced both, and third year students experienced both more than lower year students (67 students, 83 students, 138 students, respectively).
Students who experienced both internet troubles and mild delinquency had shorter sleep duration, longer smart phone usage and used their smart phones for more purposes, lower intimacy with their mother, less parental monitoring, more parental violence, lower self-control and higher depression than students who experienced only one of them. In addition, they had less enjoyment of school and less intimacy with their father and peers than students who experienced only internet troubles. Students who experienced only internet troubles used smart phones for more purposes, had more intimacy with their mother, more parental monitoring than students who experienced only mild delinquency. In sum, students who experienced both internet troubles and mild delinquency had more risk than students who had only one problem. They had more disrupted life rhythms, less intimacy with their close relationships, and individual risk factors. Multiple purpose usage of smart phones is associated with internet troubles. When looking at internet troubles, it was thought to be useful to have a viewpoint on whether students also experienced problem behavior such as delinquency.

Author

• Akiko Obokata, University of Heidelberg
  Presenting Author