Pathological Internet use Levels and Psychiatric Diagnoses in Adolescents Admitted to a Child Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic after Face-to-face Education Restriction Due to the Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: During the period of social restrictions against the pandemic, the screen time of individuals increased significantly, and youths’ mental health was adversely affected due to the restriction of peer interactions and physical activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of internet overuse and psychiatric disorders in adolescents who applied to the child psychiatry outpatient clinic after the distance education period. Materials and Methods: A semi-structured tool, “Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version” (K-SADS-PL) was used to assess psychiatric diagnoses and Young Internet Addiction Test (IAT) to determine excessive internet usage. A total of 141 adolescents aged 11-18 years were recruited for this study. Results: The average score for IAT was statistically significantly higher in the youths with social anxiety disorder compared to those without (p=0.001) even after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) (p=0.007). According to the hierarchical regression analyses, the girl gender (B=-6.899, p=0.029), younger age (B=-1.526, p=0.032) and co-morbidity of OCD (B=5.292, p=0.042) have statistically significantly predicted higher IAT scores in adolescents diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Conclusion: Identifying the common psychiatric diagnoses related to pathological internet use in adolescents, who started face-to-face education after a long break would enable mental health professionals to plan appropriate interventions for problematic areas particularly in vulnerable population more quickly when similar outbreaks recur.