Internet addiction in adolescents and staying at a dormitory: A controlled study

Abstract

Introduction

Internet addiction can have important consequences in adolescents. Many adolescents have to live apart from their families for their education during high school. Some of these students stay in dormitories. Despite the many studies on Internet addiction, none of them clarify the Internet addiction status and quality of life of dormitory residents.

Aims

Our aim in this study was to determine the internet addiction scores of dormitory residents and evaluate whether a difference was present with students who lived at home.

Methods

The subject group consisted of randomly chosen dormitory students. The control group consisted of another randomly chosen student at the same class who was staying at home. The sociodemographic data forms the pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL), children's depression inventory (CDI) and internet addiction test (IAT) were administered.

Results

We found lower Internet addiction scores and total psychosocial scores in dormitory students compared to students who lived at home. There was no difference between the groups regarding depression score, physical health total score and quality of life total score.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that dormitory students suffer less from Internet addiction than those staying at home while the quality of life is similar. Staying at a dormitory may be protective against and therapeutic for Internet addiction without decreasing the quality of life and missing school for internet addict adolescents as it makes it more difficult for them to access the internet.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.