An investigation of problematic internet use among adolescents in terms of self-injurious and risk-taking behavior

•This was a descriptive study enquiring into the current status.•There is a significant correlation between adolescents’ problematic internet use, self-injurious behavior and risk-taking behavior.•Self-injurious behavior and risk-taking behavior are significant predictors of problematic internet use.•Problematic internet use varies depending on self-injurious behavior and risk-taking behavior.

The purpose of this study was to examine problematic internet use in terms of self-injurious behavior and risk-taking behavior. This study was performed with 736 high school students, 328 females and 408 males studying at various high schools in Trabzon (in Turkey). The Problematic Internet Use Scale was used to measure students' problematic internet use levels, the inventory of statements about self injury to measure self-injurious behavior and the Adolescent Risk-Taking Questionnaire to measure risk-taking behavior. According to the results of the study, a positive and significant relationship was found between risk-taking behavior and problematic internet use (r = .39, p < 0.01), and it was determined that self-injurious behavior and risk-taking behavior significantly predict problematic internet use (F = 86.94, p < 0.01). Furthermore, it was found that problematic internet use displays variation according to self-injurious behavior (F(1, 732) = 32.32, p < 0.01). The findings have been discussed in relation to the existing literature.