Internet Addiction and Depression in Pakistani Students: A Prevalence Study

Abstract

College students are becoming susceptible to mental health and dysfunctional technology use. Depressive symptoms and internet addiction are the most common in the young adults in the academic setting, but little empirical data available on the Pakistani context. This paper discussed the use of internet problem and moderate to severe depressive symptoms prevalence among undergraduate students and differences among demographics. A group of 400 university students aged 18-26 years pass through standard tests such as Internet Addiction Test (IAT) on Internet Addiction by Young and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Group statistics and descriptive statistics were performed. Over a third of students were in the moderate range of internet addiction, that is, reported high rates of problematic using, and there were some with more severe symptoms. Also, a significant percentage of the sample were above the clinical threshold (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) regarding moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, meaning that there were serious mental health issues among the students. Male students had rather higher internet addiction levels, but depressive symptoms were not found to differ significantly in demographic subgroups. The results reveal significant indicators of digital overuse and depression in Pakistani students in universities, which should focus on prevention by targeting case prevention, mental health screening activities, and global awareness efforts in the campuses. Future studies need to conduct intermediating psychosocial processes and longitudinal trends to reinforce early detection and intervention action plans.