Graduate students study how Internet use affects well-being

"I use it to get news and for social things like Facebook and e-mail; but I also use it a lot for school," she said.

Three graduate students at The University of Kansas conducted a study this semester to look at how college students, like Ashley, use the Internet and how that use affects their overall well-being. 

They created the study as an assignment for their applied social psychology class. 

"We looked at a lot of different topics, but this one fit all of our interests," said Kristin Strasser, Garden City graduate student. 

They also chose to look at Internet use and well-being because few researchers have studied the topic. 

"There is not enough out there on the Internet and well-being," said Sarah Pressman, assistant professor of psychology and the graduate students' professor. "The Internet is constantly changing and it's hard to trust anything that's five years or older."

The graduate students will gather data through an online survey completed by students in introductory psychology classes. All introductory psychology classes require students to participate in a study at KU. 

Melanie Canterberry, Monroe, La. graduate student, said they benefitted from using psychology students because otherwise subjects often expected to be paid. She said the psychology students also fit well with this study because most college students had access to the Internet and used it often. 

"They may even use it more than any other age group," Strasser said.
 

The survey asks subjects to complete 20 different questionnaires, with one to 30 questions in each. It takes about 45 minutes to complete. 

In order to find out how subjects use the Internet, the study asks questions such as what types of Web sites subjects visit and if they use the Internet for more social purposes or just for entertainment. 

"If you're just using it for news and to go shopping, you might be in touch with friends and family less," Pressman said. 

Sarah Kirk, director of the KU Psychological Clinic, said some students at the clinic reported that online activity distracted them and it sometimes interfered with their social functioning.

"On the other hand, college students report the Internet's value as a research tool for academic pursuits," she said. "So it can be a double edged sword for many." 

To see how the Internet affects well-being, the study asks questions about subjects' mental and physical health. Such as if subjects have been sick lately and how often they exercise. It also asks subjects to rate their stress and depression levels on a scale from one to five.

"Internet use could cause more stress, but it could also be used as a stress reliever," Pressman said. 

The study asks a variety of questions because the three graduate students find different aspects of the study interesting. 

Matt Gallagher, Houston graduate student, said that how Internet use related to social anxiety specifically interested him. 

"I think that Internet use will promote healthy relationships for some people and lead to loneliness and social isolation for others," he said.

Canterberry said questions about close relationships interested her. 

"I expect that people with different attachment styles might use the Internet for close relationships in different ways and have different outcomes based on that," she said. 

Strasser said her interest lay in how people's personalities affected the way they used the Internet.

So far 42 students have completed the survey since it was put up on Nov. 1. The study will remain online until the end of the fall semester. 

"We're going to try to get 300 participants, but we'll probably have closer to 150," Pressman said. 

Once the graduate students finish gathering data they will each write a paper and submit them to a psychology journal. 

"Assuming we find meaningful results," Canterberry said.