O que leva a se viciar na internet? Relações entre solidão, depressão, ansiedade, estresse, adição à internet e uso de mídias sociais online

Abstract

Internet addiction among Brazilian university students is an insufficiently researched topic. Literature indicates an association between such an addiction, mental health and online social media usage. Here, the aim was to investigate the relationship among depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, loneliness and internet addiction; and to comprehend and compare social media usage and mental health among undergraduates with and without such addiction. Two cross-sectional quantitative studies were done, one explanatory and one comparative. The instruments used were sociodemographic and online social media usage questionnaire; Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21); UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-BR); and Internet Addiction Test (IAT). The sample consisted of 382 students at a private university from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Firstly, it was indicated that loneliness would directly predict internet addiction, considering these variables’ positive correlations with the other mental health constructs. Secondly, it was suggested that internet addicts would have poorer mental health than non-addicts, and, perhaps, would use social media as momentary distress relief. The present dissertation indicated that psychological suffering may lead to using the internet to rapidly handle the situation. This would assist in the development and maintenance of internet addiction. Future research and interventions should take this into account.