Internet Addiction and Psychological Well-Being in College Students: A Clinical Concern

Abstract

Internet usage has been integrated into college students’ lives for learning and social purposes. However, excessive internet use can also be linked to addiction, commonly referred to as Internet Addiction. Internet Addiction is prevalent among college going students. Studies reveal that IA can negatively affect the mental health of an individual. However, there is a lack of researches investigating the impact of IA on the well-being of college going students. Present study aims to investigate the association between Internet Addiction and psychological well-being of college students. The study was conducted on 120 college students of India aged between 18-25 years. Out of 120, 79 were female and 41 were male participants. To measure the IA and psychological well-being, Internet Addiction Test developed by Dr. Young and Psychological Well-being Scale by Carol D. Ryff (2007) were used respectively. A significant negative association was found between Internet addiction and psychological well-being (r= -0.21, P< 0.05). Excessive use of internet or high Internet addiction can lead to poor psychological well-being.