Keywords
Internet addiction
Somatoform disorders
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Abstract
Objective: To investigate the association between screen time and psychological symptoms in healthcare students. Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative study, with convenience sampling, carried out with health students in 2023. Psychological signs and symptoms were analyzed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Furthermore, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) questionnaire was applied to assess the level of addiction of users. Results: 79 responses were obtained, of which 50 (63.3%) were female and 29 (36.7%) were male, among which 35 (44.3%) presented mental distress, 37 (46.8%) some degree of depression and 17 (21.5%) problematic use of the Internet, which were subjected to correlation analysis associated with data description. Conclusion: A high prevalence of mental distress related to problematic internet use was identified. Psychotherapeutic and pharmacological interventions are alternatives in this scenario.
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