Internet addiction among adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between Internet addiction (IA) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among adolescents. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with adolescents aged 12–17; ADHD group consisted of 100 children were diagnosed with ADHD and the control group of the study consisted of 95 children who did not have any psychiatric diagnosis. A total of 195 adolescents completed the Young Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS) and were assessed for ADHD symptoms. Personal Information Questionnaire was used to obtain information about characteristics of internet usage. Results: The average YIAS score of ADHD group is 30.97±17.74 and found to be significantly higher than the control group. The most preferred website by the ADHD group is computer game sites (35%). ADHD group prefer to play adventure games mostly (27%)There is no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of parent’s control rate of internet usage, disrupting effect of internet usage on daily activity, rate of negative effects of internet usage on family relations and friendship relations and effects of internet usage on eating and sleeping habits.Conclusion: As we know from previous studies, the association between IA and reward deficiency is also related with the high frequency of comorbid ADHD but our results are incompatible with the literature related to internet addiction and excessive use of the internet. It is considered that prospective longitudinal studies with larger groups are needed.