Prevalence and risk factors of Internet addiction in high school students

Abstract

In this study, the prevalence and risk factors of Internet addiction in high school students was investigated. This cross-sectional study was performed in the Mersin Province in 2012. The study sample consisted of students attending high school in the central district of Mersin. The data were summarized by descriptive statistics and compared by a binary logistic regression. Our study population included 1156 students, among whom 609 (52.7%) were male. The mean age of the students was 16.1 ± 0.9 years. Seventy-nine percent of the students had a computer at home, and 64.0% had a home Internet connection. In this study, 175 (15.1%) students were defined as Internet addicts. Whereas the addiction rate was 9.3% in girls, it was 20.4% in boys (P < 0.001). In this study, Internet addiction was found to have an independent relationship with gender, grade level, having a hobby, duration of daily computer use, depression and negative self-perception. According to our study results, the prevalence of Internet addiction was high among high school students. We recommend preventing Internet addiction among adolescents by building a healthy living environment around them, controlling the computer and Internet use, promoting book reading and providing treatment to those with a psychological problem.