Loneliness, Depression, Social Support Levels, and Other Factors Involving the Internet Use of High School Students in Turkey

This descriptive study was carried out to examine problematic Internet use among high school students, and its relationship with the students’ family characteristics, loneliness, depression, and social support levels. For this study, 881 students were chosen by simple random sampling method from 8346 high school students in 18 secondary institutions of Edirne, Turkey. Data were collected using Online Cognition Scale, Depression Scale for Children, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale. The study found that younger students, especially males, who used the Internet in the mornings and evenings at home and on their mobile phones exhibited more signs of problematic Internet use. Problematic Internet use was also found to be increased among the students who spent more time on the Internet, showed more signs of depression and loneliness, had more siblings, and whose mothers had higher levels of education. The results of the study indicate training programs should be offered by relevant experts in internet usage.