LIFE SATISFACTION, DEPRESSION AND LONELINESS AS PREDICTORS OF INTERNET ADDICTION AMONG IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN IBADAN METROPOLIS

Abstract

The study examined life satisfaction, depression and loneliness as predictors of internet addiction among in-school adolescents in Ibadan metropolis. It adopted a descriptive survey research design. A total of 200 in-school adolescents, selected using stratified sampling technique, participated in the study. They responded to “Internet Addiction Predictors Assessment Scale”, a battery of adopted scales. The battery comprised of Section A, which centres on respondents’ socio-demographic information, and four other scales; Internet Addiction Test (20 items, r=0.95), Life Satisfaction Scale (5 items, r=0.90), Loneliness Scale (20 items, r=0.68), and Depression Scale (10 items, r=0.56). Three research questions were raised and answered in the study, and data was analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression. Results revealed that all the independent variables (life satisfaction, depression and loneliness) were significant at 0.05 level of significance (.938**, 226** and -.956**) to the prediction of internet addiction among in-school adolescents. It also revealed that the joint contribution of independent variables (life satisfaction, loneliness and depression) on dependent variable (Internet Addiction) was significant (f (351.029) ­= 8.597; R²= .920, R²=841, p<.05). About 84.1% variation was accounted for by the independent variables. Results also revealed that all of life satisfaction, depression and loneliness were potent predictors of internet addiction. The most potent factor was loneliness, followed by depression, while life satisfaction negatively correlated with internet addiction. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that government at all level should develop a curriculum that will inculcate discipline and moral into students in the various secondary schools. Also, parents should adequately monitor their children on the duration they spend on the internet. Also, teachers in all schools should ensure that they serve as parents in the school, most especially the class teachers by ensuring proper monitoring of students’ behaviour so as to regulate the ones that can affect them in the nearest future.

Keywords; Life satisfaction, depression, loneliness, internet addiction and in-school adolescents.

REFERENCES

Akanbi, M. L., Sulaiman, K. A. and Adeyemi, I. O. 2018. Psychosocial Consequences of Intensive Internet Use among Undergraduates of Universities in Ilorin Metropolis. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). 1761. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/1761

Akin, A and Iskender, M. 2011. Internet addiction and depression, anxiety and stress. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences. v3 i1. 138-148.

Alam, S. S., Hashim, H. N., Ahmad, M., Wel, A. C., Nor, S. M., and Omar, N. S. 2014. Negative and positive impact of internet addiction on young adults: Empirical study in Malaysia. 10(3), 619-638. Retrieved http://dx.doi.org/10.3926/ic.452 on 02/01/2020

Bae, S. M. 2017. Smartphone addiction of adolescents, not a smart choice. J. Korean Med. Sci. 32, 1563–1564. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2017.32.10.1563

Bahrainian, A. & Khazaee, A. 2014. Internet addiction among students: The relation of self-esteem and depression. Bull Environ Pharmacol Life Sci.; 3:1–6.

Bankole, O. M., & Oludayo, B. S. 2012. Internet use among undergraduate students of Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/812 on 02/01/2020

Bozoglan, B., Demirer, V., and Sahin, I. 2013. Loneliness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction as predictors of Internet addiction: a cross-sectional study among Turkish university students. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 54(4), 313-319.

Brand, M., Young, K.S. & Laier, C. 2014. Prefrontal control and internet addiction: A theoretical model and review of neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings. Front Hum Neurosci.;8:375.

Celik, S., Atak, H., and Basal, A. 2012. Predictive role of personality traits on Internet addiction. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE, 13(4).

Christakis, D. A. 2010. Internet addiction: A 21st century epidemic. BMC Medicine, 8(61), 12-31.

Christakis, D. A., Moreno, M. M., Jelenchick, L., Myaing, M. T., and Zhou, C. 2011. Problematic Internet usage in US college students: A pilot study. BMC Medicine, 9(77), 1–6.

Duke, É., and Montag, C. 2017. Smartphone addiction and beyond: initial insights on an emerging research topic and its relationship to internet addiction. Internet Addiction (Springer), 359–372

Evmorfia, K, Polyxeni, M. & Eirini, A. 2014. Internet addiction and psychopathological symptoms in Greek university students. Journal of Addictive Behaviors, Therapy & Rehabilitation, 3(2), 11-24.

Fasae, J. K., & Aladeniyi, F. R. 2012. Internet use by students of faculty of science in two Nigerian Universities. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal), 1120.

Ge, Y., Se, J. and Zhang, J. 2014. Research on relationship among internet-addiction, personality traits and mental health of urban left-behind children. Glob J Health Sci.; 7:60–9.

Goel, D., Subramanyam, A. and Kamath, R. 2013. A study on the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with psychopathology in Indian adolescents. Indian J Psychiatry.;55:140–3.

Heo, J., Oh, J., Subramanian, S.V., Kim, Y. and Kawachi, I. 2014. Addictive internet use among Korean adolescents: a national survey. PLoS One.; 9(2): e87819.

Joanna, S., Melinda, S., Lawrence, R., & Jeanne, S. 2014. Internet and computer addiction signs, symptoms and treatment. Retrieved from http:// www.helpguid.org/articles/addiction/Internet-andcomputer-addiction.htm on 02/01/2020

Jones, S. and Madden, M. 2015. The Internet goes to College: How Students are Living in Tomorrow with Today’s Technology. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/oldmedia/Files/Reports/2002/PIP_College_Report.pdf.pdf.

Kamal, N.N. and Mosallem, F.A. 2013. Determinants of problematic internet use among el-minia high school students, Egypt. Int J Prev Med.; 4:1429–37.

Karapetsas, A. V., Karapetsas, V. A., Zygouris, N. C., and Fotis, A. I. 2015. Internet addiction and loneliness. ENCEPHALOS, 52, 4-9. Retrieved from http://www.encephalos.gr/pdf/52-1-02e.pdf Kemp. on 02/01/2020

Karim, M.R., and Nigar, N. 2014. The Internet Addiction Test: Assessing its psychometric properties in Bangladeshi culture. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 10, 75-83.

Koo, H.J, & Kwon, J.H. 2014. Risk and protective factors of internet addiction: A meta-analysis of empirical studies in Korea. Yonsei Med J.; 55:1691–711.

Kormas G, Critselis E, Janikian M, Kafetzis D, Tsitsika A. 2011. Risk factors and psychosocial characteristics of potential problematic and problematic internet use among adolescents: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health.;11:595.

Kramer, A.D, Guillory, J.E. & Hancock, J.T. 2014. Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA.; 111:8788–90.

Krishnamurthy, S. & Chetlapalli, S.K. 2015. Internet addiction: Prevalence and risk factors: A cross-sectional study among college students in Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India. Indian J Public Health.;59:115–21.

Kuss, D.J. & Griffiths, M.D. 2011. Online social networking and addiction – a review of the psychological literature. Int J Environ Res Public Health.;8:3528–52.

Kuss, D.J. and Lopez-Fernandez, O. 2016. Internet addiction and problematic internet use: A systematic review of clinical research. World J Psychiatry.;6:143–76.

Lee, H., Kim, J. W., and Choi, T. Y. 2017. Risk factors for smartphone addiction in Korean adolescents: smartphone use patterns. J. Korean Med. Sci. 32, 1674–1679. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2017.32.10.1674

Li, W., O’Brien, J.E., Snyder, S.M. and Howard, M.O. 2015. Characteristics of internet addiction/pathological internet use in U.S. university students: A qualitative-method investigation. PLoS One; 10: e0117372.

Meena, P.S., Mittal, P.K. & Solanki, R.K. 2012. Problematic use of social networking sites among urban school going teenagers. Ind Psychiatry J.; 21:94–7.

Morrison, C.M. & Gore, H. 2010. The relationship between excessive internet use and depression: A questionnaire-based study of 1,319 young people and adults. Psychopathology.; 43:121–6.

Nimrod, G. 2012. From knowledge to hope: Online depression communities. International Journal of Disability and Human Development, 11(1), 23–30.

Rajput, T., Muhammad, K., Shabbir, F. & Ahmed A. A. 2016. Effect of internet addiction on academic performance of medical students. Journal of Islamic International Medical College. 11. 48-51.

Serin, B.N. 2011. An examination of predictor variables for problematic internet use. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(3), 54-62.

Sharma, A., Sahu, R., Kasar, P.K., Kasar, P.K. & Sharma, R. 2014. Internet addiction among professional courses students: A study from central India. Int J Med Sci Public Health.;3:1069–73.

Udende, P. & Azeez, A. L. 2010 Internet access and use among students of University of Ilorin, Nigeria. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 2(1), 33-42. Retrieved from http://unilorin.edu.ng/publications/udendep/Internet%20access%20and%20use%20amon g%20students.pdf on 02/01/2020