Depression ups internet addiction among kids
Children who suffer from psychological problems such as ADHD, hostility, social phobia, or depression are more likely to become addicted to the internet, a new study has found.
Previous studies had reported that online addiction is destructive as it interferes with school performance, family relationships and adolescents' emotional state and therefore should be taken seriously.
Internet addiction is usually characterized with symptoms such as spending a lot of time online, an inability to cut back on usage, a preoccupation with online activities, and symptoms of withdrawal such as anxiety, boredom, or irritability after a few days of not going online.
‘Identification of the risk factors for Internet addiction is therefore of clinical significance for the prevention of, and early intervention into, Internet addiction in adolescents,’ scientists reported.
According to the study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) followed by hostility are the main factors leading to internet addiction in children.
While hostility is considered as the greatest predictor in boys, addicted girls mainly suffer from ADHD. Social phobia and depression, moreover, predicted the problem but only in girls.
Being male, playing online games and using the internet on a daily basis for more than 20 hours a week were reported as the main risk factors for internet addiction.
Scientists therefore urged parents, educators, and medical professionals to identify at-risk children in order to prevent the problem behavior from forming through monitoring their internet usage.
Source: presstv.ir
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