Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Pediatric and Neonates, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center,Isfahan University of Medical Sciences,Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Today, the increasing process with the using internet is a kind of disease among
adolescents, especially in the COVID‑19 pandemic. The activities such as learning–educational
process and online games will become one of the problems for families. This study aimed to
determine the relationship between internet addiction and parent–child relationships in high school
girls in Isfahan.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive‑correlational study was conducted in girls’ high school
in Isfahan, Iran. One hundred and sixty students and one of their parents had participated through
cluster sampling method. They filled out the Young Internet Addiction Questionnaire and the Fine
et al.’s Child‑Parent Questionnaire (PCRS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical tests
and Pearson correlation test. The significance level of the data was considered 0.05.
RESULTS: The mean score (standard deviation) of internet addiction was 52.15 (5.67). 62.5% of the
participants were not addicted to the use of the nternet. The mean score of the parent–child relationship
was 118.24 (85.35). The results of the Pearson correlation test show that there is a significant negative
correlation between parent–child relationships and Internet addiction in adolescent girls (P < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, in the girl high school students who have a stronger parent–child
relationship, the rate of Internet dependence is lower. Due to the current situation of the COVID‑19
pandemic in terms of Internet addiction and the parent–child relationship, the present study can
help nurses, teachers, and educational planners to provide a suitable information for appropriate
intervention.

Keywords

1. Sohrabi C, Alsafi Z, O’Neill N, Khan M, Kerwan A, Al‑Jabir A,
et al. World Health Organization declares global emergency:
A review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID‑19). Int J Surg
2020;76:71‑6.
2. WHO, Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report - 1,
WHO, 2020. Available from: https://www.who.int/docs/
default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200121sitrep-1-2019- ncov.pdf?sfvrsn=20a99c10_4..
3. Dong H, Yang F, Lu X, Hao W. Internet addiction and related
psychological factors among children and adolescents in China
during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) epidemic. Front
Psychiatry 2020;11:00751.
4. CardakM. Psychological well‑being and Internet addiction among
university students. Turk Online J Educ Technol 2013;12:134‑41.
5. Paul P, Shivraj K, Bhuimali A. Internet user base in Asian
countries: An analytical review. Indian J Inf Sources Serv
2016;6(2):2231‑6094.
6. Malak MZ, Khalifeh AH, Shuhaiber AH. Prevalence of Internet
addiction and associated risk factors in Jordanian school students.
Comput Hum Behav 2017;70:556‑63.
7. Dalbudak E, Evren C, Aldemir S, Taymur I, Evren B, Topcu M.
The impact of sensation seeking on the relationship between
attention deficit/hyperactivity symptoms and severity of Internet
addiction risk. Psychiatry Res 2015;228:156‑61.
8. Odacı H. Risk‑taking behavior and academic self‑efficacy as
variables accounting for problematic Internet use in adolescent
university students. Child Youth Serv Rev 2013;35:183‑7.
9. Rezaei S, Farhadi H. Evaluation of the effectiveness of quality of
life therapy on loneliness and self‑esteem of female high school
students addicted to the Internet. Knowl Res Appl Psychol
2018;19(1):37‑49.
10. Babamiri M, Haidari Moghaddam R, Ghasemi F, Ghaffari M,
Razee M, Bandeh Ellahi K, et al. Addiction to social networks
and online games: A wrists’ pain survey in students. Iran J Ergon
2018;6:33‑42.
11. Sadati Baladehi M, Taghi Pour Javan A. The relationship between
Internet addiction, social development and health behaviors of
high school students in Tehran. Iran J Health Educ Health Promot
2018;6:222‑30.
12. Lepp A, Barkley JE, Karpinski AC. The relationship between cell
phone use and academic performance in a sample of US college
students. Sage Open 2015;5:343-350.
13. Chen YL, Gau SS. Sleep problems and Internet addiction among
children and adolescents: A longitudinal study. J Sleep Res
2016;25:458‑65.
14. Şenormancı Ö, Şenormancı G, Güçlü O, Konkan R. Attachment
and family functioning in patients with Internet addiction. Gen
Hosp Psychiatry 2014;36:203‑7.
15. Gunuc S, Dogan A. The relationships between Turkish
adolescents’ Internet addiction, their perceived social support
and family activities. Comput Hum Behav 2013;29:2197‑207.
16. Araghi Y. Assessing the quality of parent‑child relationship in two
groups of aggressive and non‑aggressive male students. Psychol
Stud 2008;4:113‑29.
17. Imani M, Shiralinia K. The role of family function and process in adolescent Internet addiction. Fam Couns Psychother
2015;5:143‑64.
18. Wan Ismail, Bahar N, Mahadevan R. Internet addiction among
secondary school students in Klang Valley, Malaysia: What is the
association with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and
SelfEsteem. IIUM Med J Malaysia 2018;17:1-7.
19. Atoum A, Al‑Hattab L. Internet addiction and its relation to
psychosocial adaptation among Jordanian high basic stage
students. J Psychol Behav Sci 2015;3:96‑104.
20. Shahraki M, Esmaeil A. Parent‑child conflicts among adolescents
with and without cell phone dependence. Congress Iran Psychol
Assoc 2017;6:18-19.
21 Xin M, Xing J, PengfeiW, Houru L, MengchengW, HongZ. Online
activities, prevalence of Internet addiction and risk factors related
to family and school among adolescents in China. Addict Behav
Rep 2018;7:14‑8.
22. Huang S, Hu Y, Ni Q, Qin Y, Lü W. Parent‑children relationship
and internet addiction of adolescents: The mediating role of
self‑concept. Curr Psychol 2021;40:2510‑7.
23. Gao Q, Sun R, Fu E, Jia G, Xiang Y. Parent‑child relationship
and smartphone use disorder among Chinese adolescents: The
mediating role of quality of life and the moderating role of
educational level. Addict Behav 2020;101:106065.