Internet Use and Mental Health: Evidence from a Global Panel of 189 Countries

Authors

  • Bianca Cavalcanti Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
  • Pedro Hemsley Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
  • Flavio Moraes Getulio Vargas Foundation, Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1112.18110

Keywords:

Internet Use, Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between internet use and mental health outcomes, focusing on anxiety and depression across 189 countries from 1990 to 2017. Using fixed effects panel regressions, we find a positive and statistically significant association between internet penetration and anxiety prevalence, with evidence of diminishing marginal effects. For depression, the results are less consistent, with significance only in specific model specifications. Robustness checks using lagged internet penetration and alternative model specifications reinforce the main findings. The results highlight the potential mental health costs of increased internet use, particularly in low-income countries where the effects are most pronounced. These findings underscore the need for policy interventions to promote healthy internet usage and mitigate potential negative mental health impacts.

Downloads

Published

2024-12-29

How to Cite

Cavalcanti, B., Hemsley, P., & Moraes, F. (2024). Internet Use and Mental Health: Evidence from a Global Panel of 189 Countries. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(12), 375–379. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1112.18110

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 12 (2024): Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Bianca Cavalcanti, Pedro Hemsley, Flavio Moraes

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.