The role of internet addiction and academic resilience in predicting the mental health of high school students in Tehran

Abstract

Abstract Background The World Health Organization defines mental health as a combination of two dimensions: the negative dimension, or negative mental health, which indicates the presence of mental disorders, symptoms, and problems, and the positive dimension, or positive mental health, which includes emotions and positive personal characteristics such as self-esteem, resilience against environmental challenges, a sense of integrity, and self-efficacy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of internet addiction and academic resilience in predicting the mental health of high school students in Tehran, Iran. Method The research method employed was a survey. 758 people participated in the study, and the samples consisted of high school students in Tehran during the academic year 2022–2023. The process of collecting information was carried out by distributing the questionnaire link through virtual networks and schools. The research utilized Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Samuels’ Academic Resilience Inventory, and Goldberg’s Mental Health Questionnaire as the research tools. Statistical tests, including Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression analysis, were employed to investigate the relationships between variables. Result The effect of internet addiction on mental health (ß=0.39) is negative and significant at the 0.001 level, while the effect of academic resilience on mental health (ß=0.66) is positive and significant at the 0.001 level. These two variables collectively predict 53% of the variance in students’ mental health. This indicates that as internet addiction increases among students, their mental health significantly decreases, whereas higher levels of academic resilience correspond to higher mental health. Conclusions This study has elucidated the role of internet addiction and academic resilience in predicting the mental health of high school students in Tehran. Given the significance of adolescent mental health, it is imperative for healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to develop intervention and prevention models to address mental health crises and plan for the enhancement of adolescent mental health.