Screening Problematic Internet Use in Parkinson's disease: prevalence and clinical characterization

Background: Problematic Internet use (PIU) has been scarcely investigated in Parkinson's disease (PD). Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of PIU symptoms in PD using a specific screening instrument and to explore the clinical characteristics of these individuals. Methods: Two-stage observational study in a Movement Disorders clinic. In Evaluation 1, participants with PD were screened by the Brazilian Portuguese Nine-Item Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire-Short Form (BR-PIUQ-SF-9). In Evaluation 2, screening-positive participants underwent an exploratory assessment of Internet use. Results: 16.7% of participants with PD were positive for the BR-PIUQ-SF-9. The median Internet use time among these positive-screened participants was 5.5 hours per day. Most of them had impulsive-compulsive behaviors, and somatic concern, anxiety, and depressive mood were common psychiatric symptoms. Conclusions: Approximately one in six participants screened positive for PIU symptoms. Impulsive-compulsive behaviors and depressive symptoms were frequent among those undergoing subsequent exploratory assessment.