The relationship of internet addiction to lonely and perceived social support during the pandemic period

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship of internet addiction with loneliness and perceived social support during the COVID-19 Pandemic period. The research was conducted online. The population of the research is all internet users over the age of 18 in Turkey. Data were collected online. Young Internet Addiction Test Short Form (IAT-SF) results were used in the formation of the study and control groups, and the cut-off point was determined as 35. The sample of the research is the study group of 51 randomly selected among 217 people participating in the online study and the control group of 51 people. The data were obtained using the "Personal Information Form", "Young Internet Addiction Test Short Form", "UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3 (UCLA)" and "Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)". According to the findings of the study, there is a significant relationship between the level of internet addiction and the level of loneliness. (p<0.001). As the level of internet addiction increases, the level of loneliness also increases. There is a significant relationship between the level of internet addiction and the level of perceived multidimensional social support (p<0.001). Accordingly, as the internet addiction score increases, the level of perceived multidimensional social support decreases. It has been observed that individuals with high levels of internet addiction during the pandemic period have high levels of loneliness and low levels of perceived social support. According to another result obtained from the research, the level of internet addiction and the variables of education and income status are in a significant relationship (p<0.001). While 27,5% of individuals with a high level of internet addiction are in the income group of 2851-4000, 37,3% of them are in the income group of 4001-6000 TL, 33,1% of individuals with a low level of internet addiction are in the income group of 6000 TL and above. 41,2% of individuals with a high level of Internet addiction stated that they spend 3-5 hours on the Internet, and 45,1% spend 5 hours or more on the Internet. On the other hand, 48,2% of individuals with low Internet addiction spend 1-3 hours on the Internet. It has been observed that individuals with high levels of internet addiction during the pandemic period have lower income levels and higher time spent on the internet.