The association between Internet addiction and dissociation among Turkish college students

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate Internet use patterns and Internet addiction among young adult university students and to examine the correlation between excessive Internet use and dissociative symptoms. Methods: The study was conducted among 1034 students, aged between 18 and 27 years. Internet Addiction Scale, Dissociative Experiences Scale, and a sociodemographic query form were used in the collection of data. Pearson correlation analysis, the t test, and chi(2) test were used for data analysis. Results: According to the Internet Addiction Scale, 9.7% of the study sample was addicted to the Internet. The Pearson correlation analysis results revealed a significant positive correlation between dissociative experiences and Internet addiction (r = 0.220; P < .001) and weekly Internet use (r = 0.227; P < .001). Levels of Internet addiction were significantly higher among male students than female students (P <.001). The Internet use pattern also differed significantly between sexes. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, Internet addiction is a relatively frequent phenomenon among young adult college students in Turkey. Excessive Internet use is associated with higher levels of dissociative symptoms. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.