Abstract
The main aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of internet usage and video gaming and its relationship to depression and suicide among teens. The sample of the study includes 200 high school students from one learning institution. In this cross-sectional study, the study population will be randomly selected from different learning institutions. Internet Addiction and computer games Questionnaire and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) will be used as data collection instruments. The dependent variables include depression and suicide. Analysis of the findings predicted that internet usage and computer gaming has a direct effect on suicide risks as well as depression. Thus, the need to develop internet addiction and computing prevention programs for teens to prevent psychological risk factors.
Introduction and Background
Adolescent internet usage and computer gaming over the years have increasingly become the most popular form of entertainment and recreation. As compared to other forms of entertainment such as watching TV, computer gaming provides a platform of engagement as well as visual learning. However, the adverse effects such as stimulating violence and anger and anxiety which has a negative on individual mental and physical health cannot be ignored. According to Ahmadi, et al. (2014), teenagers who spend excessive time on the internet and playing computer games are at risk of having behavioural problems as compared to those who do not.
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In the United States, a large number of teenagers prefer using internet and computer games for recreation as compared to other forms of activities. The reasons for teenagers’ attraction to this kind of activities being their accessibility and lack of other forms of entertainment. Playing computer games and using the internet can be useful for students in relieving stress. However, long-term use can lead to tension, restlessness, addiction to harmful behavior and cyber-bullying. This can be a great threat to teenagers as it can lead to suicide and psychological problems. In the United States, for instance, 700 young people between the ages of 15 to 20 in the year 2012 committed suicide (Wu et al. 2014). Of this, 500 were high school going, teenagers. According to studies by Heo et al. (2014), internet usage and computer gaming positively correlated with problems such as depression, self-harm behaviour, and addiction. The increasing prevalence of internet usage and computing gaming has led many researchers to conduct studies to determine their effects on users. Thus, our study was conducted to determine the effects of computer gaming and internet usage on teenagers’ mental health concerning depression and suicide.
Materials and Methods
In the cross-sectional study 200 high school students both male and female were randomly selected in the school. For data collection, Internet Addiction Scale (IAS) and computer games Questionnaire and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) were used. The Internet Addiction Scale (IAS) is a scale that comprises of 20 graded items in the range of 1 and 6(Ahmadi et al. 2015). High scores indicate high levels of internet and gaming usage. Students were also interviewed to determine their levels of depression according to the DSM-IV manual. Those with mild depression were likely to have specific symptoms such as decreased mood and presence of anxiety symptoms without any suicide ideas. Those with moderate depression should have reduced mood, sleep disturbance, and reduced energy, with suicide idea. The severely depressed students should have suicidal thoughts and even attempted to commit suicide. Other symptoms should include visual and auditory hallucinations.
Data collection was done with the help of teaching staff at the school during lunch break. Before commencing the research, students underwent a training session that explained the reasons for conducting the study as well as what was expected of them. They were also assured of the confidentiality of the data collected. Informed consent was also obtained from each participant. Demographic data such as age, sex, and duration of internet usage, game playing and the reasons for usage were asked during the interviews.
Results
50 % of the sample population under study were females, and the remaining 50 % were males. Internet dependency was seen in 30 percent of the students' translating to 60 students. Computer gaming dependency was seen in 60 students (15%). 20 % of the students mentioned that they did not play computer games and were not addicted to them. 15% of the students addicted to computer gaming mentioned amusement and loneliness as one of the reasons behind their addictive behavior. 30 % of students addicted to internet usage reported to using internet for social media purposes to increase social connection, develop identities, helping with homework and sharing creative projects. However, unlimited internet usage has resulted in them being cyberbullied and sourcing of harmful content. Prevalence of depression and suicidal ideas were significantly higher in females as compared to males with 18 % vs. 15%. Females reported that internet usage especially in platforms such as social media had their influence on body image and being cyber-bullied leading to anxiety and depression. On the other hand, male students' depression was a result of losing computer games.
Discussion
The problem of excessive computer gaming and internet usage is increasingly rapidly among the teens in the recent years and it can lead to excessive study on the effects addictions and depressive disorders. Li et al. (2014) in their study reported that excessive computer gaming and internet usage was the leading cause of suicide and depression among teens in China with an over 10 % prevalence rate. Excessive internet use is associated with cyber-bullying especially in social media platforms and downloading of harmful content leading to psychological problems such as suicide, anxiety, loneliness, and depression in teenagers. Wu et al. also in their study on the rate of internet addiction among teens especially high school students found out that two third of their subjects were internet addicts with a significant level of depressive symptoms that also required psychiatric intervention. The finding of these previous studies were consistent with our study on the effects of internet addiction on psychological well-being .
Just like excessive internet usage, computer gaming is also known to cause mental health challenges amongst leading to suicide. According to a previous study by Ahmadi et al. (2014), most of the modern computer games have a high level of violence and social isolation which has a significant direct impact on the mental health of the users. They further assert that teenagers are forced to conform to the characters of the games, failure to which the teenager may experience anxiety and depression leading to suicide ideation. The results of our study were consistent with the findings of the previous researchers. Our study further confirmed that computer gaming comes with some level of addiction which makes teenagers unable to fulfil their academic and social responsibilities. This triggers tension and anxiety which may lead to suicide.
In the study, gender was not considered an essential factor in assessing suicide and depression. While in previous studies such as that of Genctanirim Kurt (2015) showed that women are prone to mental diseases such as depression and suicide as compared to men. In our study, the suicide and depression rates in both genders were almost the same with only a 2 percent difference. According to the results, men were more addicted to computer gaming than women, hence the higher their suicide risk. In addition, the rate of depression and suicide ideation among internet users was significantly higher as compared to that of computer gaming. Students with lower economic status had higher depression and anxiety rates due to their inability to access internet like other students with higher economic status.
Cognitive Behavioural Theory (CBT) is one of the theoretical approaches that is rooted in the fundamental mental principles to explain that individual cognition plays a significant role in determining his behavioural response to life situations. According to this theory, teenagers believe that it is only computing games that can give amusement and satisfaction. This kind of faulty thinking may be as a result of processing information inaccurately leading to develop depression when the teenager fails to discriminate between their thoughts and reality.
Conclusion
From our research study, excessive internet usage and computer gaming is the leading cause of depression and suicide among teenagers. Thus, teachers, parents, and psychologists should be made aware of the risks factors contributing to suicide and depression among them being internet addiction and computer gaming. Prevention measures such as counselling services should be prioritized within school schools to curb suicidal behaviours, internet addiction, and depression.
References
Ahmadi, J., Amiri, A., Ghanizadeh, A., Khademalhosseini, M., Khademalhosseini, Z., Gholami, Z., & Sharifian, M. (2014). Prevalence of addiction to the internet, computer games, DVD, and video and its relationship to anxiety and depression in a sample of Iranian high school students. Iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences , 8 (2), 75.
Genctanirim Kurt, D. (2015). Suicide risk in college students: The effects of Internet addiction and drug use. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice , 15 (4), 841-848.
Heo, J., Oh, J., Subramanian, S. V., Kim, Y., & Kawachi, I. (2014). Addictive internet use among Korean adolescents: a national survey. PloS one , 9 (2), e87819.
Li, Y., Zhang, X., Lu, F., Zhang, Q., & Wang, Y. (2014). Internet addiction among elementary and middle school students in China: a nationally representative sample study. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking , 17 (2), 111-116.
Wu, C. Y., Lee, M. B., Liao, S. C., & Chang, L. R. (2015). Risk factors of internet addiction among internet users: an online questionnaire survey. PloS one , 10 (10), e0137506.
