Objective: Internet addiction is described as the inability to control his or her use of the internet, which causes psychological disturbances as well as physical problems. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of internet addiction levels in Turkey and besides to detect the changes of the prevalence of the levels with respect to the publication year (before and after 2013), age range (12-18 to 18+), education level (secondary, high, collage and mixed), and geographical region (north, central, east, west, south and mixed). Material and Methods: A meta-analysis of multi-category prevalence was applied on multi-category proportions (not, potentially and addicted) that computed as separate categories and pooled simultaneously. Publication bias examined through visual inspections of funnel and Doi plots, and Luis Furuya-Kanamori (LFK) index was used as a quantitative measure. Subgroup analysis was performed for the selected covariates. MetaXL was preferred in this analysis. Results: The prevalence of internet addiction was changed between 3% and 7%. The prevalence of addiction was increased especially after 2013, among educated people 18 years old who live in the central region of Turkey. As expected, internet addiction prevalence increased as the education level rose (6% [95% CI, 4-10%]). In addition, high potential addiction was observed in the adolescents who lives in the south. Conclusion: The increasing trend indicates the necessity of education on awareness and reasonable steps should be taken to prevent internet addiction.
Keywords: Internet addiction; problematic internet use; prevalence; meta-analysis; MetaXL
Amaç: İnternet bağımlılığı, fiziksel sorunların yanı sıra psikolojik rahatsızlıklara da neden olan kontrol edilemeyen internet kullanımı olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye'de internet bağımlılığı düzeyinin prevalanslarını incelemek ve bu prevalansların; yayın yılı (2013 öncesi ve sonrası), yaş aralığı (12-18 ile 18+), eğitim düzeyi (ortaokul, lise, üniversite ve karma) ve coğrafi bölge (kuzey, orta, doğu, batı, güney ve karma) bazında değişimini incelemektir. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Ayrı kategoriler olarak hesaplanan ve eşzamanlı olarak birleştirilen çok kategorili prevalansın meta-analizi, çok kategorili (bağımlı değil, potansiyel ve bağımlı) oranlara uygulanmıştır. Yayın yanlılığı, huni ve Doi grafikleri ile görsel olarak incelendi ve nicel bir ölçü olarak Luis Furuya-Kanamori (LFK) indeksi kullanıldı. Seçilen ortak değişkenler için alt grup analizi yapıldı. Bu analizde, MetaXL tercih edilmiştir. Bulgular: Türkiye'nin internet bağımlılığı prevalansının %3 ile %7 arasında değiştiği saptanmıştır. Türkiye'nin Orta-Anadolu bölgesinde yaşayan 18 yaşındaki eğitimli kişilerde bağımlılık prevalansı özellikle 2013 yılından sonra artmıştır. Beklenildiği gibi eğitim seviyesi yükseldikçe internet bağımlılığı oranı artmıştır (%6 [%95 GA] %4-10). Ayrıca güneyde yaşayan ergende yüksek potansiyel bağımlılık gözlenmiştir. Sonuç: Artan trend, farkındalık eğitiminin gerekliliğine işaret ediyor ve internet bağımlılığını önlemek için makul adımlar atılmasını gerektiriyor.
Anahtar Kelimeler: İnternet bağımlılığı; problemli internet kullanımı; prevalans; meta-analiz; MetaXL
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