Internet Addiction and Depression among Students Based on Health and Demographic Characteristics —Student’s Internet Addiction and Depression

An ongoing demand for excessive internet use is accompanied by a decline in time devoted to offline activities, which is often referred to as internet addiction. In recent years, a significant number of Bangladeshi students have shown evidence of internet addiction, frequently associated with depressive symptoms. This study aims to assess the level of depression and internet addiction among Bangladeshi students. An investigation on internet addiction, depression risk, and demographic traits was filled out anonymously by 315 university students, who had a mean age of 21.99 years and comprised 51.75% males and 48.25% females. The Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman’s correlation analysis were applied for statistical analysis. Regarding the duration of time devoted to the internet on a daily basis, there were notable variations found in this study. Notably, compared to those without such worries, those who expressed suspicions of depression showed noticeably greater levels of internet addiction. Additionally, an unexpected finding was made, showing a substantial positive correlation between the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale scores and the Internet Addiction Scale scores. This indicates that there could potentially be an association between the participants’ depressive symptoms and internet addiction. These findings demonstrate that a variety of factors, including time, may influence a university student’s propensity to depression and internet addiction. This emphasizes the significance of providing ongoing psychological assessments and support in educational environments.