University of Leeds :Study finds link between web use and depression

According to a study by the Institute of Psychological Sciences at the University of Leeds,have found a link between Internet usage and depression. Psychologists found that the more time spent on surfing the web, the more likely individuals are to be depressed.

The study is published in the Psychopathology Journal,it was consisted of 1,319 subjects which range in age from 16 to 51. An online questionnaire was used to track the levels of Internet usage and depression. But the research did not conclude whether surfing the web causes depression or whether individuals with mental health issues tend to attract toward using the Internet.

Leader author of the study, Dr. Catriona Morrison, explains, “There was a high correspondence between the amount of time spent on the Internet and levels of depression. If you look at how dependent people feel they are on the internet that is likely to correspond with how happy or sad they feel.”

The study also noticed a trend in a group of 18 subjects who spent many hours online per day.They are Classified as “Internet addicted,” and the average depression score of this group was more than 5 times higher than non-addicted individuals.The addicts were also more likely to suffer from a moderate level to severe level of depression. Age is also factored in, younger people were more frequently addicted to the Internet than older users, according to the study.

The University of Leeds site claims that this research is the “first large-scale study of Western young people to consider the relationship between Internet addiction and depression.”