A study on the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with psychopathology in Indian adolescents

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Original Article

Author Details : Piyush Upadhyay, Rakhi Jain, VN Tripathi

Volume : 3, Issue : 2, Year : 2017

Article Page : 56-60

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Abstract

Introduction: Internet addiction is a major problem of the world and not merely restricted to India. Amidst abnormal and excessive internet use, concern is the implication it may have on the vulnerable brain of children.
Aim: To study the prevalence of internet addiction and related behavioural problems in students of adolescent age group in an Indian A grade city.
Materials and Method: A cross-sectional study comprising of 1150 students of various streams in 3 different colleges of Lucknow was conducted after obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee approval and permission from the concerned colleges with consent of the students. Students were assessed by a self-administered semi-structured proforma and The Internet Addiction Test (IAT; Young, 1998) after giving them brief instructions. Dukes Health Profile was used to assess the physical, psychological and social index of their life. The subjects were classified into potential addicts, near addicts, and definite addicts for due comparison.
Results: 1150 adolescents took part in the study, 805 (70%) were male and 345 (30%) were females. The mean age of subjects was 15.46 years. Of the total, about 74.5% were potential addicts. According to Young's original criteria, 0.7% were found to be definite addicts. Subjects with excessive use of internet also had problems of anxiety, depression, and anxiety depression.
Conclusion: Science is a good servant but a bad master. In today’s era of internet use, we must learn to limit the use of internet in order to prevent this under recognized problem from becoming a health hazard of future.

Keywords: Internet, Addiction, Adolescent, Behavioural problem

How to cite : Upadhyay P, Jain R, Tripathi V, A study on the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with psychopathology in Indian adolescents. IP Indian J Neurosci 2017;3(2):56-60

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