Background: Problematic internet use (PIU) in adolescents is linked with psychological issues such as depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation is a leading cause of adolescent mortality but there remains a lack of research specifically evaluating the connection between suicidal ideation and problematic internet use among adolescents in Dhaka city.
Objectives: To determine the proportion of suicidal ideation among adolescents aged 13 to 19 years with problematic internet use in Bangla medium schools of Dhaka city.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 157 adolescents selected through multistage random sampling. Participants with severe medical/psychiatric disorders or non-internet users were excluded. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) - Bangla version and the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI) - Bangla version. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and binary logistic regression (SPSS version 21), with p-value <0.05considered significant.
Results: Overall, 52.2% had PIU and 36.6% of them reported suicidal ideation. Problematic users were at higher risk of suicidal ideation compared to normal users (χ² = 12.682, p = 0.002).Logistic regression identified PIU as a strong predictor of suicidal ideation (AOR = 7.729, p = 0.001). Other significant factors included family type, mental disorder in family, internet use hours per day and duration of internet use.
Conclusion: Suicidal ideation was significantly higher among adolescents with PIU highlighting the need for school-based mental health screening and early interventions.