Problematic internet use and sensation seeking: Differences between teens who live at home and in residential care

• PIU and sensation seeking among teens at home and in residential care
• Teens in residential care devote less time to surfing the web every day than teens who live at home.
• Teens in residential care have lower levels of PIU than teens who live at home.
• Teens in residential care are more inclined to seek sensations than teens who live at home.
• A negative correlation was found between sensation seeking and PIU.

In the current study a first attempt was made to explore the differences between normative teens and teens at risk in residential care, with regard to their patterns of internet use, problematic internet use (PIU), and the association with sensation seeking. One hundred teens in residential care and 99 teens who reside at home, took part in the study. The findings show that teens in residential care devote less time to surfing the web every day, have lower levels of PIU in the four dimensions examined (diminished impulse control, loneliness/depression, distraction, and social comfort), and are more inclined to seek sensations than teens who live at home. In addition, a negative correlation was found between sensation seeking and PIU.