The evaluation of internet usage habits and possible internet addiction and cyberbullying-victimization levels of self-destructive adolescents

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate internet usage habitsand possible internet addiction and the cyberbullying-victimization levels of adolescents who werefound to engage in self-destructive behaviors.Material and MethodsThis was a case-control study. This study includeda total of 206 adolescents between 14 and 18 yearsand they were examined under two groups as ‘self-destructive adolescents’ (n= 103) and ‘Control’ (n=103). The Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire (SHBQ)was administered to 14- to 18-year-old adolescentsadmitted to our outpatient clinic. Then The InternetUsage Form (IUF), Internet Addiction Inventory (IAI),and Cyber Victim and Bullying Scale (CVBS) wereadministered to both groups.ResultsThe case group was found to use significantly moresocial networking sites, chatrooms, shopping websites,and instant messaging sites. The case group wasdetermined to use the internet significantly more toestablish communication and to access the internetsignificantly more every day. When the total scoresand subscale scores of CVBS of the groups wereexamined, the case group was determined to havesignificantly higher scores. The case group was foundto be significantly more possible internet addicts andto display significantly more risky internet behaviors.ConclusionsThe self-destructive adolescents in our study whouse the internet in risky ways and are at risk for internetaddiction show that this group is vulnerable tothe dangers of the virtual world. Taking this into consideration,examining the internet usage habits of self-destructive adolescents who are assessed in AdolescentMental Health Clinics would be a preventiveapproach.