The Internet and its psychological impact upon individuals has predominantly been argued to provoke addictive qualities with ‘over-users’ of the Internet, of which reinforcement of depression or anxiety symptoms may be compounded by sufferers of these mood disorders. Due to the ease of access that most people have to the Internet in developed countries, it is estimated that more people are spending longer on the Internet compared to the time spent in traditional face-to-face social environments. This argument suggests that an ever-increasing number of people are becoming isolated from traditional social settings because of the Internet, which therefore may increase factors that lead to depression and anxiety disorders.

The present study offers a new theory, hypothesising that the Internet increases the chance of meaningful relationships and can help to improve self-confidence, social abilities and social support. The test hypotheses are based on the researchers model of Escapist Behaviour, which claims that individuals tested as having low level mood disorders, such as depression anxiety and social fearfulness, who spend large amounts of time using specific Internet resources, do so as a means of ‘escape’ from reality. It is also theorised that time spent using the specific function of ‘chat’ on the Internet enables these users to explore facets of their cognitive processes and general social behaviour. When offline, reflection of their social experience online may lead these users to perceive coping with their mood disorder. 

The study was conducted over the Internet using a web site to recruit and test a self-selected global population of Internet users. 188 research subjects formed the online sample group, while paper and pencil tests were administered to an offline sample group of 27 undergraduate university students, who were regular Internet users. This second group was used to see if online quantitative testing methods raised any concerns for validity in comparison to pencil-and-paper report methods. Subjects were required to complete several standardised and research specific questionnaires ranging from the Zung Depression Scale, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire – Revised Short Scale, Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Internet Use Questionnaire and an Internet Effect Survey.

Between the offline and online sample groups of Internet users, no discerning difference was measured in the validity of testing subjects online or offline via traditional paper and pencil format. Out of 188 subjects in the online sample group, 117 fell into the ‘high Internet use’ category of +3 hours a day spent online, compared to the ‘low Internet use’ group of 71 subjects who spent less then 1.5 hours a day online. The high user group was found to be older and significantly more depressed and anxious than the low user group. The high-level user group also spent more time online using specific chat application programs. Out of the 215 research subjects in the study, it was found that 137 who use chat programs have a significantly lower lie scale score, which also correlated with significantly high levels on the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, suggesting that these users of the Internet spend longer time periods online to aid them in coping with social fearfulness and anxiety.  No evidence was attained in the data to suggest that time spent online correlates with contributing to depression, anxiety or social phobic disorders. However, Chat users believed that the Internet is psychologically beneficial to them, but also believed that frequent Internet users are lonely and that the Internet can be addictive.

Escapist Behaviour theory put forward by the researcher resulted in the suggestion that this model is an entrance into the cycle of constant high-level use of the Internet. From the results, it was theorised that specific use of Chat functions online may actually form a Social Approach Behaviour pattern, whereby subjects measured as socially fearful use the Internet to rehearse social behaviour that may help them improve interaction with offline, face-to-face, social environments.

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A Layman's Background to Dr Campbell's PhD Research

The idea for my research topic came about through observing friends and family who engage in online chat – myself included! Most people seem to adopt an online "Handle", a nick-name of sorts, to be known by online so that their real name (and in most cases identity) can remain anonymous.

With this 'handle' comes a developing persona that most of these people create for themselves. Since I have participated in online chat, I have also noticed that the persona I created depicted aspects of myself that I hoped were present in my day-to-day social activities offline, but most likely weren’t, since eccentric, chivalrous or overly comical behaviour or are not common place in today’s social settings. These characteristics, however, do seem common place among those involved in specific online chat rooms and forums. Be the people eccentric, overly humourous, or even portray an unsavory and dark persona, the character they display is usually welcomed and seeks out association with other like-minded characters that convey similar characteristics.

With the non-censured and expressive environment that online chat offers, it occurred to me that those with real-life social problems, especially those who feel they are isolated by their feelings of anxiety or depressive mood states, may seek to engage in online chat because of its unthreatening environment. I say ‘unthreatening environment’, even though others may disagree with this term, because the Internet is completely controlled by the user. Nothing they wish to disclose, including their physical appearance, their body language or even the sound of their voice need occur. Ultimately, any person can become whatever character they want, display attributes they admire in others or wish to acquire themselves, and primarily, they can interact with others without placing pressure on themselves, which may normally manifest in real life social and work place settings.

I term this online persona people adopt to be a form of Escapist Behaviour. I deem the word ‘Escapist’ to be the necessary term here, as the Oxford English Dictionary defines the word as – "a tendency to escape from reality, responsibilities, etc. through activities that encapsulate the imagination". Books, films, music, and now the Internet are all forms of activities that are considered 'escapes' and as human beings we indulge in these escapes for intellectual and pleasure purposes. During these experiences our ‘reality’ becomes the stimulus we are presented with, and for a brief moment in time we are no longer, for example, Jo Bloggs the Taxation Accountant, but someone who is participating in an event that allows us to become whomever we want, be it one of a number of characters in a novel or film, or a simply a spectator in a crowd. Whatever it is we begin to focus upon in our consciousness, it is usually no longer connected to who we are in reality, hence the term – Escapist Behaviour.

The current theory within the fast growing area of Cyberpsychology is that those people who display signs of depression, anxiety or social phobia, turn to the Internet as an alternative to dealing with their problems. Their Internet use is then viewed psychologically as a means of addiction, rather than a tool used for coping. Although this is a very plausible theory, which has been accounted for in a number of studies to date (primarily conducted in the United States & Great Britain), it also a theory that has been contested by almost as many studies that have found evidence to support the theory that the social use of the Internet can help to develop social skills and raise a persons levels of self- worth. If the later is the case, it may be a plausible to consider that the Internet could be used as a form of initial self-help treatment for people who wish to cope with symptoms of depression, anxiety and social fearfulness.

It was the focus of my PhD research to investigate the theory that Internet use resulting in escapist behaviour may be a perceived form of coping with depression, anxiety and social fearfulness. Further research can be extended from my findings into evaluating the efficacy of clinical psychological practices online, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for the online population seeking support and treatment for specific mood disorders. However, the central focus of my PhD research was to formulate a model that may explain why those with certain mood disorders, such as depression, anxiety and social phobia, may choose to spend long periods of time daily online. The model offered was that of Social Approach Behaviour (SAB) and is elaborated in detail in my PhD thesis. If you wish to view the thesis in total, please click here.

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