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Background: The present study aims to analyze the prevalence of the problematic Internet use (PIU) among Spanish adolescents using the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) and provide normative data. Method: The final sample consisted of a total of 1,977 (M age = 15.70, SD = 1.26, 53.7% female). Results: PIU were relatively common with many items seeing endorsement for between 6.5% and 33.1%. There were statistically significant differences both by gender. Females scored significantly more highly on four CIUS dimensions as well as total scores. With regards to age, we found statistically significant differences in preoccupation. No differences were found for the total score by age. Conclusions: Early detection strategies should be implemented in order to prevent PIU during adolescence, a critical developmental stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use and abuse is a major public health problem. Research has generally shown that sexual minority groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other (LGBT+) people are among the most at-risk vulnerable groups for substance use. However, research in the Spanish context is very scarce and has not analyzed these issues. This research, therefore, aimed to analyze substance use in young people according to their sexual orientation through two studies using representative samples of adolescents. The analyses revealed only some differences in substance use by sexual minority groups. Bisexual adolescents showed a higher frequency of use in some indicators of tobacco, cannabis and alcohol, and lesbians showed a higher frequency of heavy alcohol use but no other indicators of differential use. Questioning adolescents, on the other hand, had the lowest rates of use compared to the other groups on many indicators. Results derived from both studies could indicate, at least with these samples and indicators, that there is no generalized and more frequent use of substances by people of sexual minority groups, which could suggest the existence of a stereotype rather than a fact.

Problematic use of the Internet among adolescents has risen in the last decade. The Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) is one of the most frequently internationally-used tools developed to assess Problematic Internet Use (PIU). However, evidence concerning its validity and reliability in its Spanish version for the adolescent population is currently lacking. Thus, the main goal of the present study was to analyse the psychometric properties of CIUS scores in a large sample of Spanish adolescents. The sample consisted of 1,790 participants (53.7% female, mean age = 15.70 years old, SD = 1.26). The one-dimensional model displayed appropriate goodness of fit indices after error covariance of five items were allowed to correlate. Strong measurement invariance was found for the one-dimensional model across age and gender. The McDonald's Omega coefficient for the total score was 0.91. Furthermore, PIU was positively associated with different indicators of poor wellbeing and psychological difficulties and negatively associated with prosocial behaviour, self-esteem and sense of belonging to the educational centre. The study provided evidence of validity for the CIUS, confirming its utility for screening PIU in non-clinical adolescents.