[Internet and psychopathology: an analysis of the use of the Web by 1075 students at secondary school]. / Internet e psicopatologia: un contributo dall'analisi dell'uso della rete da parte di 1075 studenti delle scuole superiori.

AIMS: The purpose of this research is to make a contribution to analysing the complex issue of the relationship between Internet use and psychological disorders, and proposes a survey of the typical features and effects of such use among a sample of secondary school students. PATTERN: The research was carried out on a sample of 1075 students aged 14-21 from two secondary schools, where students are prevalently male in one and female in the other; computer science is part of the teaching programme in both institutes. INSTRUMENTS USED: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Goldberg's 28-item version, together with a form to collect individual and social data and information about the actual use of Internet, such as number of years, number of hours a day/a week, subjective experience, quantitative-qualitative perception of the connection. RESULTS: There is a clear and significant correlation between weekly hours of use and GHQ scores. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of our sample confirms certain statements found in the relevant literature concerning a possible relationship between the use of Internet and psychological disorders. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: none.