Relationship between Problematic Internet Use and Depression in Young Latin American College Students

Author:

Vázquez-Martínez Andrea12ORCID,Villanueva-Silvestre Verónica12ORCID,Abad-Villaverde Beatriz3ORCID,Santos-González Cristina1,Rial-Boubeta Antonio4ORCID,Villanueva-Blasco Víctor José12ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Faculty of Health Sciences, Valencian International University, 46002 Valencia, Spain

2. Research Group on Health and Psycho-Social Adjustment (GI-SAPS), Valencian International University, 46002 Valencia, Spain

3. Faculty of Humanities and Education, Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña, 10203 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

4. Faculty of Psychology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Abstract

(1) Problematic Internet use (PIU) in young people is a topic of great interest both in the field of addictions and mental health, but scientific evidence is limited in Latin America. The aim was to analyze the relationship between PIU and depression in Latin American college students. (2) Methods: The sample consisted of 1828 college students (63.7% women), aged between 18–30 years (M = 21.64 years). (3) Results: PIU was detected in 40.2% of cases, and severe or moderately severe depression in 31.7%. Rates of severe depression in students with PIU were 3.02 times higher than in those without PIU (χ2(3) = 168.443; p < 0.000). The presence of PIU was also statistically significantly higher among youth with depressive symptoms. Linear and logistic regression models for predicting PIU, show how the depression level constitutes a risk factor for PIU: seven times higher for severe depression; more than five times higher for moderate depression; and more than two times for mild depression. (4) Conclusions: There is a clear association between depression and PIU, suggesting that a higher level of depression would act as a predictor of PIU. However, this finding is exploratory. Future studies should clarify the directionality of the relationship between both variables.

Funder

Valencian International University

Publisher

MDPI AG

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