PERCEIVED DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS AND INTERNET ADDICTION IN TIMES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The development of the COVID 19 pandemic has significantly disrupted normal activities globally. During this time many people around the world faced various mental health problems. The present research study aimed at analyzing the relationship between internet addiction and depression in adolescents during COVID-19 outbreak.  A sample size of 166 high school students at a High School in Quito-Ecuador were applied. The Chen Internet Addiction Scale, the 6-ITEM Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale - KADS-6 and a Socio-demographic Questionnaire were applied, it also includes a non-experimental design, quantitative, correlational scope and cross-sectional approach. The results in the Pearson correlation analysis (r = .541), allows to observe a mean and significant positive relationship between internet addiction and depression. A linear regression analysis was performed with an R2 value of .293, which indicates that 29% of the variance of adolescent depression could be explained by internet addiction. It could be concluded that with the emergence of COVID-19 and the confinement caused by the pandemic as well as the observed increased time usage of the internet by adolescents, along with preexisting mental illness that the rates of depression could have significantly increased among the adolescent sample group.  Future research is recommended in which the psychological consequences caused by the pandemic and the direct relationship to the internet use or the abuse needs to be investigated in greater depth.