This study aims to investigate Internet addiction among young adult university students and to examine the correlation between excessive Internet use, dissociative symptoms, and socio-demographic features. University student Internet use patterns are also investigated.

The study was conducted among 1034 students, aged between 18 and 27 years, from the Duzce University. Internet Addiction Scale (IAS), Dissociative Experiences Scale, and a sociodemographic query form was employed in the collection of data. Pearson correlation analysis, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and chi-square test were used for data analysis.

According to the IAS, 9.7% of the study sample was addicted to the Internet. The Internet addicts were more likely to use alcohol (p < 0.001). The pearson correlation analysis results revealed a significan positive correlation between dissociative experiences and Internet addiction (r = 0.220, p < 0.001) and weekly internet use (r = 0.227, p < 0.001). Levels of internet addiction were significantly higher among male students than females (p < 0.001). The internet use pattern also differed significantly between genders.

According to the results of this study, Internet addiction is a relatively frequent phenomenon among young adult college students in Turkey. Excessive internet use is associated with higher levels of dissociative symptoms and alcohol use.