RT Journal Article
T1 Analysis of the relationship between problematic internet use and depression in Latin American college students
A1 Vázquez Martínez, Andrea
A1 Villanueva Silvestre, Verónica
A1 Abad Villaverde, Beatriz
A1 Santos González, Cristina
A1 Rial Boubeta, Antonio
A1 Villanueva Blasco, Víctor
K1 Depression
K1 Problematic Internet use
K1 College students
K1 Latin America
AB (1) Problematic Internet use (PIU) in young people is a topic of great interest both in the field of addictions and mental health, but scientific evidence is limited in Latin America. The aim was to analyze the relationship between PIU and depression in Latin American college students. (2) Methods: The sample consisted of 1828 college students (63.7% women), aged between 18–30 years (M = 21.64 years). (3) Results: PIU was detected in 40.2% of cases, and severe or moderately severe depression in 31.7%. Rates of severe depression in students with PIU were 3.02 times higher than in those without PIU (χ2(3) = 168.443; p < 0.000). The presence of PIU was also statistically significantly higher among youth with depressive symptoms. Linear and logistic regression models for predicting PIU, show how the depression level constitutes a risk factor for PIU: seven times higher for severe depression; more than five times higher for moderate depression; and more than two times for mild depression. (4) Conclusions: There is a clear association between depression and PIU, suggesting that a higher level of depression would act as a predictor of PIU. However, this finding is exploratory. Future studies should clarify the directionality of the relationship between both variables
PB MDPI
YR 2024
FD 2024-08-16
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/44061
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/44061
LA eng
NO Vázquez-Martínez, A.; Villanueva-Silvestre, V.; Abad- Villaverde, B.; Santos-González, C.; Rial-Boubeta, A.; Villanueva-Blasco, V.J. Relationship between Problematic Internet Use and Depression in Young Latin American College Students. Behav. Sci. 2024, 14, 719
NO Valencian International University [PII2020_05]
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026