Internet addiction: relationship with anxiety, depression, stress and time online

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between internet addiction, anxiety, depression, stress and the recreational time devoted to the internet per day. A total of 1050 Portuguese university students aged between 17 and 35 years, 633 women and 417 men participated in the study. The instruments administered were: sociodemographic questionnaire, Internet Addition Test (IAT) and the Anxiety, Depression and Stress Scale (EADS 21). The results indicate that individuals with higher levels of Internet addiction presented greater values in the variables anxiety, depression and stress. Online leisure time had a statistically significant effect on internet addiction. This study has implications for the approach to university health services, specifically in terms of prevention and intervention in this issue, as well as highlighting the importance of an adequate management of emotions as a preventive factor.