Internet Addiction Among Diabetic Adolescents and The Impact on Their Self Esteem

Background Compulsive Internet use has emerged as a contemporary addictive behavior. Our aim was to investigate the level of internet use and the psychological impact upon self-esteem among Egyptian adolescents with diabetes mellitus (DM) compared with healthy controls. Objectives This current study examined the relationships between Internet addiction symptoms, specific relational patterns, and self-esteem in diabetic adolescents. Methods Two hundred and fifty-five diabetic adolescents attending outpatient clinic of pediatric Diabetes clinic; El demerdash pediatric hospital -Ain Shams University; who are diagnosed with DM (type 1 &2) and equal number of healthy adolescents, age & sex matched was enrolled in the study. The Arabic version of the 20 items Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the translated Adolescent Self-Esteem Questionnaire (ASQ)was undergone by the adolescents. Results Total number of Two hundred and fifty-five diabetic adolescents (n = 255) where 164 females (64.3%) and 91 males (35.7%) participated in the study with mean age 14.2 ± 1.3 SD & Mean HbA1c (%) 6.5–12.2. Equal number of healthy adolescents where 160 females (62.7%) and 95 males (37.3%) participated in the study with mean age 14.4 ± 1.3 SD as control group. Conclusion Low self-esteem is a significant factor contributing to higher internet addiction scores among both diabetic adolescents and healthy controls. This problematic internet use poses a challenge for managing diabetes in adolescents with diabetes mellitus (DM). The negative impact of low self-esteem on their lifestyle likely exacerbates their internet use, making it a crucial area to address in diabetes management strategies.