Abstract:
Addictive behaviors related to Internet are becoming more common and this tool has been essential once it enables home office, entertainment, homeschooling, and easy access to information. Despite the easiness brought by technology, the exaggerated use has affected users in different ways, including in the development of psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to assess internet addiction, depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attention, impulsivity, and stress in 48 adolescents (26 young women and 22 young men), aged from 15 to 18 years, with a mean age of 16.74 (0.61), mostly students of public schools, during COVID-19, to investigate correlations between these variables according to sex and sociodemographic aspects. To assess the factors, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT); the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale (SNAP-IV) Questionnaire ; the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale for brazilian adolescents (EDAE-A); the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11); and a sociodemographic questionnaire were applied. The data collection was performed in schools located in southern Brazil. The results indicated that 12 out of 48 adolescents were considered addicted to the Internet. Moreover, Internet addiction was a predictor of depression in regression analysis (p<0.001). In addition, participants classified as more addicted to the Internet scored lower averages in general attention (p<0.035) and higher averages in behavioral symptoms of inattention and ADHD (p<0.050), stress (p<0.003), anxiety (p<0.016), and depression (p<0.015), with effect sizes ranging from moderate to high. Therefore, the intense internet use by adolescents might cause psychological consequences such as depression in adolescents. Family support and professional intervention might help in the reduction of symptoms and consequences of internet addiction as well as in its prevention.
Keywords:
Behavioral Addiction; Psychological Disorders; Teenagers