Internet Addiction and Personality Differences among Adolescents

The aim of present study was to find out gender differences between adolescent girls and boys and their use of Internet (high and low) on personality. All 400 participants of the age group between 16 to 19 years participated in this study, who belonged to Arts, Commerce, and Science colleges from Pune city. They were administered Internet Addiction Test (lAT) by Young(1998) and NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFl) by McCrae and Costa (1992). The Mean and SD for girls and boys on internet addiction and sub dimensions of Neo- FFl were calculated. On the basis of Median split- high scorers and low scorers on lAT test were identified. Personality differences on these groups (Boy s vs. Girls&high vs. low scorer on lAT) were studied by calculating Means and SD on personality sub dimensions. The F test was applied to study gender differences on personality dimensions and also to study personality differences between high and low internet addicted adolescents. Results revealed that adolescent girls scored significantly higher on neuroticism, openness to experience and lower on conscientiousness. High internet addicted adolescents scored significantly higher on neuroticism and extraversion and lower on openness to experience and agreeableness than low internet addicted adolescents.