Problematic Internet Use, Depressive Symptomatology and Suicidal Ideation in University Students During COVID-19 Confinement.

BACKGROUND

The aim was to estimate the rate of PIU in Spanish university students during the lockdown, taking sex and age into account, and to analyze its relationship with depression and suicidal ideation.

METHOD

921 university students (55% women) from 18 to 30 years old (M = 24.8 years; SD = 3) participated.

RESULTS

The results showed that 21% of the participants presented PIU, 25.1% moderate depression, 2.1% severe depression, and 6.6% suicidal ideation. The 18 to 21-year-old age group presented the highest rate of PIU (37.8%). A positive correlation was observed between PIU and depression (r = .38; p ‹ .001), with a significantly higher mean score on the PHQ-9 (t = -8.21; ‹ d = .78) in university students with PIU (M = 9.8; SD = 5.1) than those without it (M = 6.4; SD = 4.1). The rate of severe depression was six times greater (χ2 (3) = 73.25; p ‹ .001) in undergraduates with PIU (6.2%) than those without PIU (0.8%). Moreover, 3.6% of university students with PIU presented suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings establish the association between PIU and depression and suicidal ideation in the university population, providing novel contributions for prevention policies.