Psychosocial determinants of internet addiction: A cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29120/ijpsw.2025.v16.i1.653Keywords:
Internet addiction, problematic use, adolescents, teenagers, psychosocial factorsAbstract
Background: Internet addiction is a mental health concern that may adversely affect a person’s life. This study aims to examine the prevalence of internet addiction and the psychosocial factors associated with it. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among high school and higher secondary students from the Thrissur district of Kerala who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of a brief sociodemographic part, questions on internet use, psychosocial factors related to internet use, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, GAD-7 and Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS). SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. Results: According to the PRIUSS Scale, 20% of the studied population was addicted to internet. The psychosocial factors that are associated with internet addiction include anxiety, depression, fatigue, headache, eye pain/irritation, sleeplessness, daytime sleepiness, loneliness, stress, poor academic performance, poor concentration, insecurity, violence tendency and lack of self-control. Conclusion: The findings suggest that there is a need to intervene in the area of youth internet addiction so as to mitigate the psychosocial factors associated with it.
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