'INTERNET ADDICTION' IN RELATION TO COGNITIVE OR SOMATIC DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS

In the treatment of excessive Internet use, it is vital to define all the consequences of this disorder so that the therapeutic procedure may be directed to the core of the problem. Recent studies concerning the relations between excessive Internet use and behavioral disorders have shown that various forms of psychological disorders (e.g., depression, OCD, other anxiety disorders) are associated with excessive Internet use. The aim of the study was to examine the correlation of increased Internet use with the two types of depressive symptoms (cognitive and somatic). A total of 100 Internet users were examined, divided into a clinical and control group. Only participants who did not have clinical records of depression history were included in the study. The severity of the Internet addiction was evaluated with the Internet Addiction Test. The correlations between Internet addiction and depression (measured with the Beck Depression Inventory) were investigated, with cognitive and somatic symptoms analysed separately. Results indicated that Internet addiction was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms in general, although there was an increased level of depression within the clinical group. In regard to the type of depressive symptoms, Internet addiction is significantly related to somatic but not cognitive symptoms. In conclusion, there is no correlation between excessive Internet use and depression as such, but an overlapping in the somatic/ affective symptoms these disorders. We assume that these symptoms are primarily influenced by excessive Internet use, but this hypothesis still needs to be reassessed in future research.