Investigation of correlation between Internet addiction and parent–child relationship in girls' adolescence in the COVID-19 pandemic

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

• adolescent
• internet addiction disorder
• parent–child relationship
• parents