Clinical significance of the effect of internet addiction on attention span in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objectives: Our study aims to investigate the effect of Internet Addiction (IAD) on attention span in patients diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and admitted to child psychiatry outpatient clinic. Material and Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 200 ADHD patients aged 10-18 years and 168 healthy controls. Young Internet Addiction Scale, Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents, Internet Use Questionnaire, Depression Scale for Children, State-Trait and Trait Anxiety Scale and Stroop Test were administered to the subjects. Conners Parent Rating Scale and Turgay Family ADHD Scale were administered to the parents of the subjects. Results: The study included 200 (54.3%) patients with ADHD and 168 (45.7%) healthy control subjects (368). In the patient group, 71% were male, 29% were female, and the mean age of the patients was 12.9±2.4 years. In the control group, 33.9 % were male, 66.1 % were female and the mean age of the subjects was 14.4±2.4 years. Conclusion: In our study, it was found that the prevalence of ADHD was 2.5 times higher in boys than in girls, and that the frequency of internet use, purpose of internet use, Kovacs depression scale sub-scores, State and Trait anxiety scales sub-scores, and social media addiction scale for adolescents sub-scores were associated with İA.