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Journals / Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 23 Sayı: 3

The Relationship Between Home Internet Use, Familial Characteristics, and Clinical Severity in ADHD Youth

DEHB’li Çocuk ve Ergenlerde Evde İnternet Kullanımı, Ailesel Özellikler ve Klinik Şiddet İlişkisi

Burçin Şeyda Karaca(Balıkesir Atatürk Şehir Hastanesi)0000-0001-5338-6865
Ahmet Güleç(Balıkesir Atatürk Şehir Hastanesi)0000-0001-9979-5891
Pages
399–407
Publication Date
2026-09-21
DOI
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Conclusions: Clinician-rated clinical severity in children and adolescents with ADHD is associated not only with individual characteristics but also with home-based digital life habits and parental digital behaviors, underscoring the importance of evaluating family digital life characteristics during the clinical assessment and management of children and adolescents with ADHD.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Background: This study aimed to examine the relationship between home internet use habits, familial sociodemographic characteristics, and clinical disease severity in children and adolescents diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
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Key Findings & Data:Materials and Methods: This retrospective and descriptive study included 81 children and adolescents with ADHD aged 6-17 years who were followed at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic of Balıkesir City Hospital between 2023 and 2025.
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Conclusion & Impact:Conclusions: Clinician-rated clinical severity in children and adolescents with ADHD is associated not only with individual characteristics but also with home-based digital life habits and parental digital behaviors, underscoring the importance of evaluating family digital life characteristics during the clinical assessment and management of children and adolescents with ADHD.
🔬Design:Lab & Field Experiment
📍Scope:2023 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Dikkat eksikliği ve hiperaktivite bozukluğu · İnternet kullanımı · Klinik şiddet

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to examine the relationship between home internet use habits, familial sociodemographic characteristics, and clinical disease severity in children and adolescents diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Materials and Methods: This retrospective and descriptive study included 81 children and adolescents with ADHD aged 6-17 years who were followed at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic of Balıkesir City Hospital between 2023 and 2025. Clinical severity was assessed using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale. Digital life variables, including age at first internet use, daily internet and gaming duration, device ownership, and household internet rules, together with familial sociodemographic characteristics, were evaluated. Pearson correlation analyses were performed in the full sample, and independent predictors of CGI-S scores were subsequently examined using a three-step hierarchical multiple linear regression model conducted in treatment-naïve participants. Results: The mean age of the participants was 9.77±3.00 years, and 70.4% were male. The mean age at first internet use was 5.97±2.64 years. CGI-S scores were significantly associated with paternal age, paternal daily internet use duration, and age at tablet acquisition. In hierarchical regression analyses performed in treatment-naïve participants, the inclusion of digital life variables increased the explained variance to 59.5%. Paternal daily internet use emerged as the strongest independent predictor of CGI-S scores (β=0.572, p=0.001). Conclusions: Clinician-rated clinical severity in children and adolescents with ADHD is associated not only with individual characteristics but also with home-based digital life habits and parental digital behaviors, underscoring the importance of evaluating family digital life characteristics during the clinical assessment and management of children and adolescents with ADHD.

Özet

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, Dikkat Eksikliği ve Hiperaktivite Bozukluğu (DEHB) tanılı çocuk ve ergenlerde ev içi internet kullanım alışkanlıkları, ailesel sosyodemografik özellikler ve klinik hastalık şiddeti arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Materyal ve metod: Bu retrospektif ve tanımlayıcı çalışmaya, 2023-2025 yılları arasında Balıkesir Şehir Hastanesi Çocuk ve Ergen Psikiyatrisi Polikliniği'nde izlenen, 6-17 yaş aralığında DEHB tanılı 81 çocuk ve ergen dahil edilmiştir. Klinik hastalık şiddeti Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) ölçeği ile değerlendirilmiştir. İlk internet kullanım yaşı, günlük internet ve dijital oyun kullanım süreleri, dijital cihaz sahipliği, ev içi internet kullanım kuralları ile birlikte ailesel sosyodemografik özellikler değerlendirilmiştir. Değişkenler arasındaki ilişkiler tüm örneklemde Pearson korelasyon analizi ile incelenmiş; CGI-S puanının bağımsız yordayıcıları ise farmakolojik tedavi almayan katılımcılarda gerçekleştirilen üç aşamalı hiyerarşik çoklu doğrusal regresyon analizi ile incelenmiştir. Bulgular: Katılımcıların yaş ortalaması 9,77±3,00 yıl olup %70,4'ü erkekti. İlk internet kullanım yaşı ortalaması 5,97±2,64 yıl olarak bulundu. CGI-S puanları; baba yaşı, babanın günlük internet kullanım süresi ve tablet edinme yaşı ile anlamlı ilişki gösterdi. Farmakolojik tedavi almayan katılımcılarda gerçekleştirilen hiyerarşik regresyon analizinde, dijital yaşam değişkenlerinin modele eklenmesiyle açıklanan varyans %59,5'e yükseldi. Nihai modelde babanın günlük internet kullanım süresi, CGI-S puanının en güçlü bağımsız yordayıcısı olarak belirlendi (β=0,572; p=0,001). Sonuç: DEHB tanılı çocuk ve ergenlerde klinisyen tarafından değerlendirilen klinik hastalık şiddeti yalnızca bireysel özelliklerle değil, aynı zamanda ev içi dijital yaşam alışkanlıkları ve ebeveynlerin dijital medya kullanım davranışları ile de ilişkilidir. Bu bulgular, DEHB'li çocuk ve ergenlerin klinik değerlendirme ve yönetim sürecinde aile bağlamındaki dijital yaşam özelliklerinin de sistematik olarak değerlendirilmesinin önemini göstermektedir.

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Cite This Article

Karaca, B. Ş., Güleç, A., *, B. Ş. K. (2026). The Relationship Between Home Internet Use, Familial Characteristics, and Clinical Severity in ADHD Youth. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi, Cilt: 23 Sayı: 3, 399–407. https://ajindex.com/articles/1080780

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