Internet addiction in high school students, affecting factors and relationship between internet addiction and depression risk

Abstract

This is a cross-sectional study conducted to determine internet addiction in high school students, the affecting factors, and the relationship between internet addiction and depression risk.690 students were included in this study, and a Personal Information Form, Internet Addiction Scale, and Beck Depression Scale were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, and Kruskall Wallis test were used to evaluate data. It was determined that 2.1% of the adolescents had limited symptoms of internet addiction and 0.4% was pathological internet user. The study found that internet addiction increased in the students in the 9th class and as their ages decreased. It was observed that 21.1% of the adolescents had depression risk and adolescents with depression risk had a higher level of internet addiction (t(667)=7.497; p<0.05). It is concluded that internet addiction and depression risk in high school adolescents were influenced especially by interpersonal relationships and adolescents with depression risk had higher levels of internet addiction.