Are depression, quality of life and life satisfaction associated with internet addiction? A cross-sectional study among Turkish university students.

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of internet addiction among university students and its relationships with quality of life, life satisfaction, and depression.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 394 students from the Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa faculties of Engineering, Health Sciences, Sport Sciences, and Education. The self-report questionnaires included questions assessing sociodemographic factors, quality of life, life satisfaction, the Chen Internet Addiction Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory.

RESULTS

The prevalence of internet addiction (IA) was 18.3%, and depression was 60.9%. IA was more common among students with severe (OR = 7.10; 95% CI: 2.94-17.10) and moderate (OR = 3.43; 95% CI: 1.56-7.51) depressive symptoms than among those with minimal symptoms. Income less than expenses (OR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.09-3.78) and reading books less than once per month were positively associated with IA. Reading 1-3 times/month (OR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.14-0.65) and once/week or more (OR = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.19-0.70) were negatively associated with IA. No significant associations were found between IA and either quality of life or life satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, depression, low income, and limited reading habits were identified as significantly associated variables for internet addiction. To protect university students from internet addiction and develop healthy behaviors, it is necessary to develop prevention strategies, design, and implement awareness and education programs that consider preventive factors.