Evaluation of internet addiction, hopelessness and life satisfaction in medical students: the case of trakya university

Although the internet has taken its place in every aspect of life and made individuals addicted to it, the diagnostic criteria for internet addiction are not yet clear. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between 'Internet Addiction' with various sociodemographic factors, 'Hopelessness' and 'Satisfaction with Life' in medical students at Trakya University Faculty of Medicine. The sample of our study consisted of 324 students at Trakya University Faculty of Medicine who agreed to participate. Data were collected by applying a questionnaire consisting of 45 questions. In the questionnaire form, there are 8 questions about the sociodemographic data of the participants. In addition, the Young Internet Addiction Test-Short Form with 12 questions, Beck Hopelessness Scale with 20 questions and Satisfaction with Life Scale with 5 questions were applied to the participants. Of the participants, 191 (59.0%) were female, 133 (41.0%) were male, and the mean age was 22.99 ± 1.47 years. The mean score on the Young Internet Addiction Test-Short Form was 30.0±7.5. Those with mental illness, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and those who did not use the Internet for study purposes had higher Internet addiction scores. There was no significant relationship between gender, age, class, place of residence, income status and internet addiction. Higher levels of hopelessness were found in those with mental illness, depression and anxiety, while higher levels of life satisfaction were found in those without mental illness. It was also found that those whose income was less than their expenses had lower life satisfaction. Among the students, those with minimal hopelessness had lower levels of Internet addiction than those with moderate and severe hopelessness. A weak negative correlation was found between the Young Internet Addiction Test-Short Form and Satisfaction with Life Scale scores. It has been observed that internet addiction is affected by many factors. Primary health care services can provide early diagnosis and intervention with steps that can be taken towards these factors. Family physicians, who are the closest point of contact of individuals, can assume an important role at this point. Key words: medical students, hopefulness, internet, internet addiction disorder