Internet addiction and mental health disorders in high school students in a Peruvian region: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo determine the association between internet addiction disorder (IAD) and anxiety and depressive symptomatology in high school students in two private schools in Chiclayo, Peru, during the COVID-19 pandemic.Materials and methodsAnalytical cross-sectional investigation of 505 adolescents from two private schools. The dependent variables were anxiety and depressive symptomatology, measured with the Beck Adapted Depression Questionnaire (BDI-IIA) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), respectively. The main independent variable was IAD, measured with the Internet Addiction Test instrument(IATI). Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated.ResultsThe average age was 14.16 years and 54.9% were women. 22.2% and 3.2% presented mild and moderate IAD; respectively. 9.3% presented severe anxiety and 34.3% severe depressive symptomatology. In the simple regression, adolescents with mild, moderate and severe IAD presented 19% (PR = 1.19; 95%CI: 1.05-1.35), 25% (PR = 1.25; 95%CI: 1.02-1.53) and 53% (PR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.47-1.60) higher prevalence of depressive symptomatology; however, this association was not maintained in the multiple model. Anxiety increased 196% in adolescents with severe IAD (PR = 2.96; 95%CI: 1.86-4.71).Conclusion We found that 2, 1, and 3 out of 10 students presented IAD, depressive symptomatology, and anxiety, respectively. We did not find an association between IAD and depressive symptomatology, but we did find an association with anxiety. Among the factors associated with the development of depressive symptomatology were the male sex, the presence of eating disorders, subclinical insomnia, using devices for more than 2 h, and using the Internet for academic activities. About anxiety, the associated factors are the female sex, the presence of eating disorders, subclinical insomnia, and the use of the Internet as social interaction. We recommend implementing counseling programs in view of the imminent introduction of the Internet as a pillar in education.