Impact of problematic internet use on the academic stress and academic performance among adolescents in selected school, Kochi Kerala, India

Abstract

The internet is recognized as a medium for information exchange, in various fields such as in academic research, entertainment, communication and commerce, across the world. Continuous use of internet results in a lot of psychological and mental disorders like anxiety, depression, stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder; as observed in many of the studies carried out recently. Recently, Problematic Internet Use has become a global phenomenon that causes serious problem to the affected individual leading to impairment in psychological well-being by causing excessive stress and affecting the individual’s academic performance. The present study aimed to assess the Problematic Internet Use and its relationship with Academic Stress and Academic Performance among adolescents in selected schools, Kochi, Kerala, India. The study was conducted in Private Aided School, in Muvattupuzha Taluk of Ernakulam Dist, Kerala. A cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach was selected, and the study was conducted in July 2018 among 125 adolescents and participants were selected using random sampling technique. The samples were provided with a self-administered questionnaire after obtaining written consent from their parents and the students. The findings of the study revealed that 59.20% had mild Problematic internet addiction. 65% of the adolescents reported moderate stress and 32% had mild stress. Academic performance-wise, 60% of the adolescents were found to be average in the studies. Karl-Pearson coefficient indicated a significant relation between Academic Stress (r=-1 and p<0.001). Based on the findings one can conclude that the adolescents who were having internet addiction were found to have detrimental effects both in their Academic Performance and academic stress to some extent. As a result, the use of internet in normal limits or in moderation may not cause potential harm to their adolescents.