Does the Internet offer social opportunities for individuals with schizophrenia? A cross-sectional pilot study
Abstract
Web-browsing habits of 143 individuals with psychotic disorders were compared to individuals with non-psychotic disorders (n=118) and healthy volunteers (n=100). The psychotic group created social interactions via Internet use similarly to the control groups. Individuals with schizophrenia benefit from Internet use, as it bypasses some of their social difficulties.
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Individuals with serious mental disorders and young adults with mental illness appear to form online relationships and connect with others on social media as often as social media users from the general population.
“Studies have found that individuals with serious mental disorders (Spinzy, Nitzan, Becker, Bloch, & Fennig, 2012) as well as young adults with mental illness (Gowen, Deschaine, Gruttadara, & Markey, 2012) appear to form online relationships and connect with others on social media as often as social media users from the general population.”
From Social Media and Mental Health: Benefits, Risks, and Opportunities for Research and Practice (2020) · cites this paper as Spinzy, Nitzan, Becker, Bloch, & Fennig, 2012
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- Authors
- Spinzy, Y., Nitzan, U., Becker, G., Bloch, Y., & Fennig, S.
- Affiliations
- Shalvata Mental Health Center (IL)
- Tel Aviv University (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Spinzy, Yaniv
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-07
- Volume
- 198
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 319-320
- ISSN
- 0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1979049573
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 2.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
- Keywords
- schizophrenia, internet use, social interaction, social difficulties, psychosis
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Schizophrenic Psychology, Case-Control Studies, Internet
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