DEVELOPMENT OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS IN PEOPLE SUFFERING INTERNET ADDICTION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/1811-2471.2021.v.i1.11991Keywords:
internet addiction, COVID-19, depressionAbstract
The problem of raising anxiety is extremely relevant, especially among people suffering from Internet addiction.
The aim – to investigate the relationship between depression, anxiety and stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the presence of Internet addiction.
Material and Methods. Features of depression, anxiety and stress during a pandemic in 447 respondents (225 men and 302 women) were analyzed. The mean age of the subjects was (20±5.5) years. To objectify the results, we used: information on respondents᾽ attitudes and perceptions of COVID-19, the Kimberly Young Internet Addiction Test Questionnaire (IAT), the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and mathematical statistics methods.
Results and Discussion. The surveyed respondents were divided into two groups, according to the presence or absence of Internet addiction according to the IAT test. Each of the formed groups was divided into subgroups, according to the collected information about the personal attitudes and feelings of the respondents regarding COVID-19.
It was found that the level of depression on the DASS-21 scale in people suffering from Internet addiction and having subjective feelings about COVID-19 was mostly mild (38.89 %) or moderate (30.56 %), in subgroups without subjective experiences COVID-19 – easy (42.55 %). The level of anxiety in the subgroups was moderate (52.78 %) and moderate (46.81 %), the level of stress was moderate (55.55 %) or severe (36.12 %) and mild (44.69 %) or moderate (36.17 %) respectively.
The levels of depression, anxiety and stress in people who do not suffer from Internet addiction were significantly lower, in particular the level of depression in the subgroups with subjective experiences COVID-19 was mostly mild (49.02 %) or normal (24.76 %), in the subgroup without subjective experiences COVID-19 – normal (58.19 %) or mild (21.31 %). The level of anxiety was mild (42.24 %) or moderate (27.18 %) and normal (42.62 %) or mild (30.33 %), respectively. The level of stress was mild (47.09 %) or moderate (29.61 %) and normal (40.98 %) or mild (33.61 %), respectively.
Conclusions. Internet addiction affects the development of depression, anxiety and stress directly. People who suffer from Internet addiction and express higher subjective feelings about COVID-19 are more likely to have mental illnesses that require psychotherapeutic correction.
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