Internet Addiction: A Multiple Regression Analysis of Its Predictive Factors and Its Relation to Depression and Anxiety

   Internet usage is particularly significant in the population of adolescents and youngsters. Besides numerous benefits, internet usage may also bring certain risks of addictive behaviour. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the factors influencing internet addiction among youngsters. The relationship of internet addiction with depression and anxiety was also investigated in the study. Simple random sampling was executed, and 357 students had taken part in the study. Internet addiction Test (IAT) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 which were the tool to assess internet addiction, anxiety and depression were employed. Descriptive analysis, a frequency table, was used to summarise the demographic profile as well as to describe the level of internet addiction, anxiety, and depression among the students. Multiple Linear Regression was used to examine the influence of gender, mode of online, purpose of online, duration of daily internet usage and frequency of internet use per week on the internet addiction while Chi-square test and Fisher’s Exact test were implemented to investigate the relationship of internet addiction with depression and anxiety. The findings indicated that only gender (p-value = 0.000) had significant influence on internet addiction. Chi-Square test was used to identify the relationship between internet addiction and depression. The results show that there is a significant relationship between internet addiction and depression (p-value = 0.000) since the p-value was less than 0.05. Finally, Fisher’s Exact test was used to identify the relationship between internet addiction and anxiety because the assumption of Chi-Square test was not met. Similarly, the results show a significant relationship between internet addiction and anxiety (p-value = 0.000).