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Read moreBackground: Academic stress and problematic internet use are important concerns during adolescence, yet their association may vary across developmental, educational, and psychosocial contexts. The present study examined the relationship between academic stress and internet addiction among adolescents. Methods: The broader study used a two-group, pretest–post-test intervention design. For this objective, baseline pretest data from 224 adolescents aged 13–15 years in the experimental (n = 112) and control (n = 112) groups were pooled. Academic stress and internet addiction were assessed before intervention implementation. Pearson’s correlation examined their linear association; causal and intervention-effect inferences were not made. Results: Academic stress scores ranged from 15 to 23 (M = 17.75, SD = 1.51), whereas internet addiction scores ranged from 62 to 74 (M = 69.55, SD = 2.44). The correlation between academic stress and internet addiction was negligible and positive but not statistically significant, r (222) = .031, p = .641, two-tailed. Thus, the proposed hypothesis of a positive relationship was not supported in this sample. Conclusion: Contrary to the proposed hypothesis, academic stress was not significantly associated with internet addiction in the present sample. Although the observed correlation was positive, its magnitude was negligible. This finding suggests that academic stress alone may not be sufficient to explain adolescents’ internet addiction scores in this study. Other individual, family, emotional, social, or technology-related factors may contribute to internet addiction. Future research should use longitudinal designs and examine potential moderating or mediating factors, including emotional distress, coping, sleep, family support, and patterns of internet use.
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Academic Stress, Adolescents, Internet Addiction, Problematic Internet Use, Cross-Sectional Study.
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