scholarly journals Internet addiction and related psychosocial factors among Pakistani population during Covid19

Author(s):  
Maryam Pyar Ali Lakhdir ◽  
Ayesha Nasir Hameed ◽  
Fauzia Basaria Hasnani ◽  
Meher Angez ◽  
Muhammad Talha Nawaz ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Internet addiction has surfaced as a significant concern to public health in these unprecedented Covid19 times due to social distancing and lockdown. This study aims to determine the burden of internet addiction and related psychosocial factors among the Pakistani population amidst COVID-19 Methods An analytical cross-sectional survey was broadcasted on internet via google form link which was completed by 1145 Pakistani residents. The outcome variable was Internet addiction and was assessed using the "Young's Internet Addiction Test" (IAT). In addition, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were evaluated using the "Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21" (DASS-21). The multinomial logistic regression was applied, and adjusted odds ratio along with 95% confidence intervals were reported for significant factors associated with Internet addiction. Results The majority of participants were females and youth (between ages 20–24 years). The prevalence of problematic-internet-users (PIU) and addictive-internet-users (AIU) was 27.3% and 11.3%, respectively. The odds of extremely severe anxiety among AIU were approximately three times (Adj OR: 2.6 (1.1–7.1) followed by the odds of having extremely severe depression was 3.14 (95% C.I.: 1.53–6.44) times greater among PIUand odds of extremely severe stress being about five times higher among AIU (Adj OR: 5.42 (1.66–17.68)) as compared to normal-internet-user (NIU). Conclusion Amid Covid 19, the burden of internet addiction was discovered to have surged among the Pakistani populace. This study found that gender, marital status, depression, stress, anxiety, work situation, and mood changes amidst the pandemic are significantly associated with problematic and addictive internet use.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Pyar Ali Lakhdir ◽  
Meher Angez ◽  
Apsara Ali Nathwani ◽  
Ayesha Nasir Hameed ◽  
Malik Muhammad Hamza Khan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Internet addiction has proved to have detrimental effects on the mental health wellbeing of people. During COVID19, these effects are amplified significantly; therefore, this study aims to assess the effect of internet addiction (IA) on the presence of depression among the Pakistani population amidst COVID 19. MethodsA cross-sectional design was employed using an anonymous web-based survey link. This link was disseminated via different social media platforms. The "Young's Internet Addiction Test" (IAT) and "Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21" (DASS-21) screening tools were used to measure Internet addiction (IA) and level of depression respectively. Adjusted odds ratios along with 95% confidence interval were reported using multinomial logistic regression for the association of IA and other predictors associated with depression. Results A total of 1145 individuals has completed this survey. Overall, the prevalence of severe and extremely severe depression was found to be 9.7% and 16.4% amidst the Pakistani population during the Covid-19 outbreak. The odds of extreme depression were 15 times more among (AIU) addicted internet users (95% CI: 8.26-28.8) and 7 times more among (PIU) problematic internet users (95% CI: 4.57-12.05) as compared to (NIU) normal internet users. ConclusionIn the aftermath of COVID 19, depression was found to be significantly related to internet addiction. This study determined that addicted and problematic internet users are more prone to suffer from depression.


2020 ◽  
Vol 06 (04) ◽  
pp. 12-18
Author(s):  
Ashish Verma ◽  

Introduction: The revolution in technology has changed the entire environment. In this digital environment Internet is the basic action. Apart from the numerous advantages, Internet Addiction (IA) is emerging as a public health issue. The adolescents are at higher risk as their mental acumen is immature. At one point Internet addicts feel depressed. Adolescents with depression are at risk for increased recurrence of depression. Aims of the study is to find the prevalence of IA and to explore the relationship between IA and depression among Indian Adolescents. Research Methodology: A cross sectional survey was conducted on randomly selected 450 adolescent students aged between 10-18 yrs of urban schools of Lucknow in the period of one year. Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was applied to find the Internet addiction and PHQ9-A (PHQ9 modified for adolescents) was used to find the depresion. Result: In 351 Internet users 33.61% (118) were not addicted, while 66.38% (233) students fall in catogry of addiction. Among Internet addicts, mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression was found in 56.22% (131), 16.73% (39), 14.16% (33) and 4.29% (10), respectively. Depression is a major contributor to the global burden of diseases worldwide and is ranked as the second leading cause of disability. Our study clearly shows an indirect correlation between IA and depression. Thus, this is the high time to educate the students at school level regarding the optimal use of Internet through talks, handbills or booklet which shall also guard the incidence of depression among adolescents.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Brigo ◽  
Simona Lattanzi ◽  
Giorgia Giussani ◽  
Laura Tassi ◽  
Nicola Pietrafusa ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The Internet has become one of the most important sources of health information, accessed daily by an ever-growing number of both patients and physicians, seeking medical advice and clinical guidance. A deeper insight into the current use of the Web as source of information on epilepsy would help in clarifying the individual attitude towards this medium by Internet users. OBJECTIVE We investigated views towards the Internet in a sample of Italian healthcare specialists involved in epilepsy field, to explore factors which explained the influence of information found on the internet. METHODS This study was a self-administered survey conducted in a group of members of the Italian Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) in January 2018. RESULTS 184 questionnaires were analyzed. 97.8% of responders reported to seek online information on epilepsy. The Internet was most frequently searched to obtain new information (69.9%) or to confirm a diagnostic or therapeutic decision (37.3%). The influence of consulting the Internet on clinical practice was associated with registration to social network(s) (OR: 2.94; 95%CI: 1.28-6.76; p=0.011), higher frequency of Internet use (OR: 3.66; 95%CI: 1.56-9.21; p=0.006) and higher confidence in reliability of online information (OR: 2.61; 95%CI: 1.09-6.26; p=0.031). No association was found with age, sex, years in epilepsy practice or easiness to find online information. CONCLUSIONS Internet is frequently used among healthcare professionals involved in the epilepsy to obtain information about this disease. The attitude of being influenced by the Internet for diagnostic and/or therapeutic decisions in epilepsy is independent on age and years of experience in epilepsy, and probably reflects an individual approach towards the Web.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Chen ◽  
Hongfu Ren ◽  
Na Wang ◽  
Yaqing Xiong ◽  
Fei Xu

Abstract Background To examine associations of socioeconomic position (SEP), separately indicated by education, monthly family average income (FAI) and occupation, with health literacy (HL) among adults in regional China. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among urban and rural adults (aged 25–69 years) who were randomly selected, using the probability proportionate to size sampling approach, from Nanjing municipality of China during October and December of 2016. HL, the outcome variable, was assessed using the Chinese Resident Health Literacy Scale. SEP, our independent variable, was separately measured with educational attainment, monthly family average income and occupation. Logistic regression models were introduced to examine SEP-HL association with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results Totally, 8698 participants completed the survey. The proportion of participants with unweighted and weighted adequate HL was 18.0% (95%CI = 17.2, 18.8%) and 19.9% (95%CI = 16.6, 23.6%), respectively, in this study. After adjustment for possible confounding factors, each SEP indicator was in significantly positive relation to both unweighted and weight HL level. Participants who obtained 13+ and 10–12 years educational attainment, respectively, had 2.41 (95%CI = 1.60, 3.64) and 1.68 (95%CI = 1.23, 2.29) times odds to record weighted adequate HL compared to their counterparts who were with 0–9 years education. Subjects within upper (OR = 1.92, 95%CI = 1.24, 2.98) and middle FAI tertile (OR = 1.59, 95%CI = 1.19, 2.13), respectively, were more likely to report weighted adequate HL relative to those who were within lower FAI tertile. White collars were more likely to have weighted adequate HL (OR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.09, 1.61) than blue collars. Conclusions Each of education, FAI and occupation was positively associated with health literacy among urban and rural adults in China. The findings have important implications that different SEP indicators can be used to identify vulnerable residents in population-based health literacy promotion campaigns.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e043365
Author(s):  
Subhasish Das ◽  
Md. Golam Rasul ◽  
Md Shabab Hossain ◽  
Ar-Rafi Khan ◽  
Md Ashraful Alam ◽  
...  

IntroductionWe conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the extent and to identify the determinants of food insecurity and coping strategies in urban and rural households of Bangladesh during the month-long, COVID-19 lockdown period.SettingSelected urban and rural areas of Bangladesh.Participants106 urban and 106 rural households.Outcome variables and methodHousehold food insecurity status and the types of coping strategies were the outcome variables for the analyses. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were done to identify the determinants.ResultsWe found that around 90% of the households were suffering from different grades of food insecurity. Severe food insecurity was higher in urban (42%) than rural (15%) households. The rural households with mild/moderate food insecurity adopted either financial (27%) or both financial and food compromised (32%) coping strategies, but 61% of urban mild/moderate food insecure households applied both forms of coping strategies. Similarly, nearly 90% of severely food insecure households implemented both types of coping strategies. Living in poorest households was significantly associated (p value <0.05) with mild/moderate (regression coefficient, β: 15.13, 95% CI 14.43 to 15.82), and severe food insecurity (β: 16.28, 95% CI 15.58 to 16.97). The statistically significant (p <0.05) determinants of both food compromised and financial coping strategies were living in urban areas (β: 1.8, 95% CI 0.44 to 3.09), living in poorest (β: 2.7, 95% CI 1 to 4.45), poorer (β: 2.6, 95% CI 0.75 to 4.4) and even in the richer (β: 1.6, 95% CI 0.2 to 2.9) households and age of the respondent (β: 0.1, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.21).ConclusionBoth urban and rural households suffered from moderate to severe food insecurity during the month-long lockdown period in Bangladesh. But, poorest, poorer and even the richer households adopted different coping strategies that might result in long-term economic and nutritional consequences.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 586-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erkan Oktay ◽  
Abdulkerim Karaaslan ◽  
Ömer Alkan ◽  
Ali Kemal Çelik

Purpose – The main aim of this study is to determine the factors that influence the housing demand of households in Erzurum, northeastern Turkey. Housing demand is generally affected by several factors including housing prices, individuals’ income, expectations and choices and so on, as a means of its demographic and socio-psychological contexts. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was carried out, in which the outcome variable had binary responses such as whether to invest in housing or not. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the underlying data. Findings – The questionnaire was conducted in 2,927 households living in Erzurum city center, and 47 per cent of the respondents claimed that they would consider investing in housing in the future. The estimation results reveal that demographic or socio-economic factors that may possibly influence housing demand of the respondents are as follows: household head’s and spouse’s occupation, monthly income, the number of individuals in the family and car ownership. Originality/value – This paper involves the most comprehensive survey addressing the housing demand in the East Anatolian Region, Turkey. Additionally, this paper aims to contribute to the existing housing literature through establishing the statistical analysis of housing demand in an unstudied territory of the world.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 2333-2336
Author(s):  
Anum Arif ◽  
Minahil Iram ◽  
Sabih Nofal ◽  
Aima Sohail ◽  
Bismah Riaz ◽  
...  

Aim: To assess prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, Stress in medical students, interns, and residents in Pakistan Study design: Cross-sectional Survey (Questionnaire) based study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Lahore Medical College from March 2020 to May 2020. Results: 104 participants were included in the study. There was female predominance 58(55.8%), and the mean age was 23.55±1.42. The overall mean score of depression and anxiety was 21.2±12.67 and 15.7±10.67 respectively and most prevalent in third and fourth-year residents. The mean stress score was 13.7, 10. 27. Twenty-eight (26.9%) of the overall participants had extremely severe depression, 36 (34.6 %) had extremely severe anxiety and 13(12.5%) had severe stress. Doctors studying and practicing in the private sector have a higher DASS21 score (p = < 0.006) Conclusion: Multiple factors have been found to contribute to the poor mental health of health care workers, including financial trouble, sleep deprivation, abuse from colleagues, high expectations, female gender, broken relationships, and substance misuse. Keywords: Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Medical, Mental Health Problem Solving, Psychological Distress,


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
Fatma W. Nazer ◽  
Wael Sabbah

<p class="Pa7"><strong>Objective: </strong>To assess whether there are ethnic differences in tooth loss among adult Americans aged &lt;40 years and whether socioeconomic position attenuates these differences if they exist.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a health-related telephone cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of US adults. Tooth loss (one tooth or more) was used as the outcome variable. Ethnicity was the main explanatory variable. Family income, education and health insurance were also used in the analysis. Logistic regression models for tooth loss were constructed adjusting for demographic (age, sex, and ethnicity), socioeconomic indica­tors (income and education), health insur­ance, dental visits, smoking and diabetes.</p><p class="Pa7"><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 76,273 participants were included in the analysis. The prevalence of tooth loss was highest among Blacks (33.7%). Hispanics and other ethnic groups had a higher prevalence of tooth loss than Whites, 29.1% (95%CI: 27.7-30.6), 22.0% (95%CI: 20.3-23.8), and 20.8% (95%CI: 20.2-21.4), respectively. Blacks had odds ra­tios (OR) 1.98 (95%CI: 1.81-2.16) for tooth loss compared with Whites. After adjusting for socioeconomic positions (SEP), the rela­tionship attenuated but remained significant with OR 1.71 (95%CI: 1.55-1.90).</p><p class="Default"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite recent changes in the health care system in the United States, ethnic inequalities in tooth loss still exist. Income and education partially explained ethnic differences in tooth loss among Americans aged &lt;40 years.</p><p class="Default"><em>Ethn Dis. </em>2018;28(3):201-206; doi:10.18865/ ed.28.3.201</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-242
Author(s):  
Yanqiu Wang ◽  
Ying Zhao ◽  
Ling Liu ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Dong Ai ◽  
...  

Objective The purpose of this cross-sectional survey is to explore the current state of Internet addiction (IA) in Chinese medical students and its connection with medical students’ sleep quality and self-injury behavior.Methods Respondents were came from Wannan Medical College, China. The Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Self-Harm Questionnaire were used in this cross-sectional survey. A total of 3,738 medical students were investigated, 1,552 (41.52%) males, 2,186 (58.48%) females. T-test, chi-square test and MANOVA were used for data analysis.Results Of the 3,738 medical students, 1,054 (28.2%) reported having IA, 1,126 (30.1%) reported having poor sleep quality, 563 (15.1%) having self-harm behaviors. IA tends to be more female, upper grade students. The sleep quality of IA was worse than that of non-IA (χ<sup>2</sup>=54.882, p<0.001), and the possibility of self-injury was higher than non-IA (χ<sup>2</sup>=107.990, p<0.001).Conclusion This survey shows that the IA detection rate of medical students was 28.2%. Females, higher grade students had a higher IA detection rate. The low sleep quality and self-injury behavior of medical students are associated with IA.


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