Prevalence of internet addiction and related factors among 9th to 11th grade high school students in the center district of Denizli province

The definition of internet addiction was first coined in the international literature in 1995 by Dr. Ivan Goldberg. Problematic Internet Use (PIU) can be defined as the inability to control the desire to spend time on the internet, spending increasingly more time online, devaluing non-internet time, experiencing excessive irritability, tension, and restlessness when unable to access the internet, and as a result, deterioration in one's work, school, social, and family life. Internet addiction has become a significant public health issue worldwide, including in Turkey. It is important to identify the factors associated with internet use in adolescents, who are considered to be at risk for internet addiction. The aim of our study is to determine the prevalence of internet addiction and identify associated factors among high school students in grades 9-11 in the central district of Denizli province, Turkey. The population of the cross-sectional study consisted of students attending high schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in the central districts of Pamukkale and Merkezefendi in Denizli province. A 76-item questionnaire was used as the data collection tool, querying students' sociodemographic characteristics, internet usage patterns, and lifestyle-related factors. Internet Addiction was measured using a 20-item Internet Addiction Scale. Ethical approval and necessary institutional permissions were obtained before the study. SPSS 17.0 software was used for data analysis. Chi-square test was used for comparing categorical variables, and logistic regression analysis (backward) was used to determine independent factors affecting problematic internet use. The study reached 1074 participants. 51.1% of the participants were female, with a mean age of 15.52±0.94 years. Internet Addiction was found in 0.9% of the participants, and Problematic Internet Use was found in 19.8%. According to the regression analysis, problematic internet use was higher in females, those who did not receive any commendations or awards, those who did not read books at all, those who did not have hobbies, and those who perceived their parents as using the internet excessively. In conclusion, our study found that approximately one in five high school students (19.8%) exhibited problematic internet use and one in one hundred children (0.9%) exhibited internet addiction. Internet addiction should be periodically assessed in different sample and age groups, and necessary measures should be taken accordingly. Keywords: Internet, Internet addiction disorder, students