Internet Overuse and Psychological Well-Being Among Young Adult Women

Parvathi S; Mythili T

Parvathi S Research Scholar, Department of Applied Psychology, Department of Applied Psychology, JBAS College for Women, Tamil Nadu, India.
Mythili T Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, Department of Applied Psychology, JBAS College for Women, Tamil Nadu, India.

Keywords: Young Adulthood, Psychological Well-Being, Internet, Internet Addiction, Overuse, Professional, Non-Professional

Abstract

Introduction: Young adulthood is a period of development and healthy women are the cornerstone of a healthy society. Technology fulfils many human needs, but its overuse is a risk. Being addicted to technology has its effects on the psychological and physical well-being of an individual. For a brighter and healthier future, it is essential to ensure the well-being of young adult women. The study was conducted to find out the relationship between internet addiction and psychological well-being among young adult women between the ages of 20 and 24 years.
Method: The research design used was an ex post facto design. The study was conducted in an engineering college and an arts and science college in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Sixty postgraduate female students from professional and non-professional disciplines (30 in each group), using the internet (at least for the past six months) were included in the study. Young’s internet addiction scale and Riff’s psychological well-being scale were used to measure internet addiction and psychological well-being respectively. Statistical analysis was done using independent t test, correlation coefficient and regression analysis.
Results: In this study, it was found that professional young adult women significantly differed in psychological well-being as compared to non-professional young adult women with a p value of 0.001. A negative correlation was found between internet addiction and psychological well-being. It was observed that demographic variables such as birth status, family type, working status of the mother and purpose of internet usage did not significantly predict internet addiction.
Conclusion: Psychological well-being is significantly higher in non-professional students than professional in the young adult women population. Internet usage does not affect the psychological well-being of this age group.

How to cite this article:
Parvathi S, Mythili T. Internet Overuse and Psychological Well-Being Among Young Adult Women. Chettinad Health City Med J. 2024;13(2):35-40.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2278.2044.202426

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