The Analysis of Psychological Aspects of Online Education: Depression and Happiness and Their Relationship with College Students Academic Achievement

Abstract

Atefeh Avaznia, Hamid Reza Shoraka, Esmat Nouhi

Background: Physical and psychological problems faced by college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and via online education can be investigated and prevented. Internet addiction, especially in online education, affects the student's academic and social life. This study aimed to explore the psychological aspects of depression and happiness due to Internet addiction and their relationships with students' academic achievement.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 510 students who were studying at Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2019. The students were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. The instruments used to collect the data were three standard questionnaires and a data collection form. The collected were analyzed statistically with SPSS software (version 22).

Results: The mean score of Internet addiction was 36.73±18. Overall, 140 students (27.4%) were at the pre-addiction stage and 19 students (3.7%) were severely dependent on the Internet and social media. Internet addiction had a significant correlation with depression and happiness. However, no significant relationship was observed between Internet addiction and academic achievement. The results of multivariate linear regression analysis showed that Internet addiction was significantly correlated with the students’ age (P = 0.047), marital status (P = 0.001), and academic level (P = 0.002).

Conclusion: The results of this study suggested approximately one-third of students were dependent on the Internet and social media or were about to become addicted. The results also confirmed the link between Internet addiction with depression and happiness in the students. Thus, Internet addiction showed a negative correlation with happiness but a positive correlation with addiction and depression. However, no significant relationship was observed between Internet addiction and academic achievement. Although the use of online education is a complementary and effective educational technique, it should be carefully managed in educational programs.

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