Effect of Internet Addiction on Depression among Pakistani Population amidst the COVID 19

Background: Internet addiction has proved to have detrimental effects on the mental health wellbeing of people. During COVID19, these effects are amplified significantly; therefore, this study aims to assess the effect of internet addiction (IA) on the presence of depression among the Pakistani population amidst COVID 19. Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed using an anonymous web-based survey link. This link was disseminated via different social media platforms. The "Young's Internet Addiction Test" (IAT) and "Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21" (DASS-21) screening tools were used to measure Internet addiction (IA) and level of depression respectively. Adjusted odds ratios along with 95% confidence interval were reported using multinomial logistic regression for the association of IA and other predictors associated with depression. Results: A total of 1145 individuals has completed this survey. Overall, the prevalence of severe and extremely severe depression was found to be 9.7% and 16.4% amidst the Pakistani population during the Covid-19 outbreak. The odds of extreme depression were 15 times more among (AIU) addicted internet users (95% CI: 8.26-28.8) and 7 times more among (PIU) problematic internet users (95% CI: 4.57-12.05) as compared to (NIU) normal internet users. Conclusion: In the aftermath of COVID 19, depression was found to be significantly related to internet addiction. This study determined that addicted and problematic internet users are more prone to suffer from depression.