Because schoolteachers are subject to suffer from mental health problems, this study aimed to examine the relationship between problematic Internet use (PIU) and psychological distress, insomnia, and alcoholism among schoolteachers. The cross-sectional study surveyed junior and senior high school teachers in Shimane prefecture, a rural area in Japan. A total of 2,663 junior and senior high school teachers (1,702 men and 961 women) completed the self-rated questionnaire measuring PIU, psychological distress, insomnia, and alcoholism. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that psychological distress, insomnia, and alcoholism were associated with PIU among schoolteachers. The results indicate that schoolteachers with more severe psychological distress, insomnia, or alcoholism, regardless of gender, would use the Internet in a more problematic way. The study suggests that PIU could be an important condition related to multiple health problems in schoolteachers.
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