Depression among Indian Internet Addict Adolescents

Anand K  Agarwal; Ashish  Verma; Manisha  Agarwal; Santosh K  Singh

Anand K Agarwal Prof. & Head, Department of Pediatrics, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Atariya, Sitapur, U.P., India.
Ashish Verma Associate Professor Pediatrics, Career Institute of Medical Sciences, C-2/612, Jankipuram Sitapur Road, Lucknow, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1686-4060
Manisha Agarwal Prof. & Head, Department of Obst. & Gyn. Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Mau, Atariya, Sitapur, U.P., India.
Santosh K Singh Assistant Prof., Department of Pediatrics, Saraswati Medical College, Unnao, U.P., India.

Keywords: Adolescents, Internet Addiction, Depression

Abstract

Introduction: The revolution in technology has changed the entire environment. In this digital environment Internet is the basic action. Apart from the numerous advantages, Internet Addiction (IA) is emerging as a public health issue. The adolescents are at higher risk as their mental acumen is immature. At one point Internet addicts feel depressed. Adolescents with depression are at risk for increased recurrence of depression. Aims of the study is to find the prevalence of IA and to explore the relationship between IA and depression among Indian Adolescents.

Research Methodology: A cross sectional survey was conducted on randomly selected 450 adolescent students aged between 10-18 yrs of urban schools of Lucknow in the period of one year. Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was applied to find the Internet addiction and PHQ9-A (PHQ9 modified for adolescents) was used to find the depresion.

Result: In 351 Internet users 33.61% (118) were not addicted, while 66.38% (233) students fall in catogry of addiction. Among Internet addicts, mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression was found in 56.22% (131), 16.73% (39), 14.16% (33) and 4.29% (10), respectively. Depression is a major contributor to the global burden of diseases worldwide and is ranked as the second leading cause of disability. Our study clearly shows an indirect correlation between IA and depression. Thus, this is the high time to educate the students at school level regarding the optimal use of Internet through talks, handbills or booklet which shall also guard the incidence of depression among adolescents.

How to cite this article:
Agarwal AK, Verma A, Agarwal M, Singh SK. Depression among Indian Internet Addict Adolescents. Ind J Youth Adol Health 2019; 6(4): 12-18.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2349.2880.201917

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