Internet Addiction among Senior Medical Students in King Abdulaziz University, Prevalence and Association with Depression

INTRODUCTION: Excessive internet use can lead to negative outcomes such as poor academic performance and social isolation. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of the internet addiction and to explore the factors associated with depression among medical students, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.METHODS: The total number of senior medical students was 1049 in the academic years 2013-2014. An analytical cross sectional study was adopted. Stratified sampling technique with proportional allocation to recruit medical students. A self-administered questionnaire was used which adopted the 20-item Young’s internet addiction test (IAT) to explore the internet addictions, while the existence of depression was assessed using the centre for epidemiological studies depression scale (CES-D).RESULTS: The study included 161 medical students, making the response rate of 78.2%. Majority (94.4%) had computer and 99.4% were using the internet. Community sites ranked first (40.6%), whereas general sites, chatting and emailing were preferred by 14.4%, 10% and 10% respectively. Internet addiction was reported among only five students (3.1%). Possible addiction was reported among 74 students (46.3%). Male students (66.2%) were more addicts to internet than females (44.6%) (P=0.007). The 4th year students reported the highest rate of internet addiction or possible addiction (70.3%) (P=0.003). All internet addicts were depressed, whereas 74.1% of possible addicts and 62.2% of non addicts were depressed (P=0.088). However, the trend in the prevalence of depression in the three different situations was statistically significant (P=0.034).CONCLUSION: Internet addiction is growing hidden problem, which has psychological and social impact on medical students and requires preventive strategies and therapeutic interventions.

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Internet Addiction and the Pattern of Internet Use among Under Graduate Medical Students: A Cross- Sectional Study from North India

Journal of Community Health Research ◽

10.18502/jchr.v10i4.8338 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Priyanka . ◽

R K Pal

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Internet Use ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

North India ◽

The Internet ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significance Level

Introduction: Excessive use of the Internet affects the academic achievements of students. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Internet addiction and the pattern of Internet use among undergraduate medical students. Method: This analytical cross-sectional study conducted on 177 undergraduate medical students in batch 2016, 2017 and 2018, who were included in this study by convenience sampling method. The study tool was Young’s Internet Addiction Test containing questions regarding the pattern of Internet use. Data entry and analysis was done by using Microsoft excel and SPSS version 21. Qualitative data were described in terms of frequency and percentage while quantitative data were expressed as mean and standard deviation. Chi square test and multiple linear regression were used to find out the relationship between various factors and Internet Addiction (IA). The significance level was considered 0.05. Results: The mean age of the participants was 20.3 years (± 1.19), and 62 % of the subjects were males. The prevalence rate of Internet Addiction (IA) was found to be 56.5% and 42.9% of them were in mild and 13.6% were in moderate addiction category. Being male (β= -0.143, p=0.038), staying at a hostel (β= 0.167, p=0.018), not having a time preference for using the Internet (β= -0.174, p=0.012), spending more time on the Internet everyday (β= 0.201, p=0.000), being always online (β= 0.276, p=0.000) and more years of using the Internet (β= 0.175, p=0.015) were significantly related with IA in students. Conclusion: A large proportion of medical students were found to be addicted to the Internet. Therefore, this issue should be addressed immediately.

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The Effects of Internet Addiction on the Academic Performance of Medical Students at Omdurman Islamic University: An Online Cross-sectional Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-154768/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Salih Boushra Hamza ◽

Yassin A. Abdalla ◽

Tibyan Hassan Mustafa Alkabashi ◽

Ahmed A. M. Mustafa ◽

Khadija Ala Abdelmaqsud Muhmmed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Academic Performance ◽

Medical Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Moderate Level ◽

The Internet ◽

P Value ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Background:In general, the emergence of new technologies such as the internet, social networks and providing opportunities to facilitate and improve global communications quality have created some threats, as Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), which is an emerging psychological problem across the globe. Young defined it as “an individual’s inability to control his or her use of the internet, which eventually causes psychological, social, school, and/or work difficulties in a person’s life”. Students are among the most critical internet and social networks, particularly during the coronavirus recent pandemic. The prevalence of internet addiction and its association with academic performance among Sudanese medical students has not been discussed yet. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effects of internet addiction on medical students’ academic performance. Methods:This study was an observational descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on medical students at Omdurman Islamic University in Sudan from 321 sample size by stratified random technique. Data were collected using a questionnaire that contains four sections; the last one is the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), a 20-item scale that measures the presence and severity of internet addiction, developed by Young. Data were analyzed using the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 24. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:Out of 321 medical students, 186 (57.9%) were females, and 135 (42.1%) were males, with no general differences regarding the addiction score. Social media was the leading platform for internet use purposes (88%), mean internet addiction score was 47.7; most of the respondents (55.8%) fit into the moderate-level addiction. There is an association between the duration of internet time consumption and the IAT score, with 5-6 hour/day scoring the highest (mean 50.1 ± 14.3) (P-value 0.001). There is a significant association between platforms that consume most of the participant time and IAT score, with games scoring the highest (IAT mean 56.4 ± 15) (P-value 0.001). There is an insignificant negative correlation between Internet Addiction Test (IAT) grade and CGPA (p-value 0.07).Conclusion:The mean internet addiction score is 47.7, and most of the respondents (55.8%) show moderate-level addiction. The Internet Addiction Test’s application to medical students’ sample concerning the academic performance found no significant association between Internet Addiction Test score and CGPA score.

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Frequency and risk factors of internet addiction in medical students: a cross-sectional study

Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association ◽

10.47391/jpma.451 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Amina Ehsan ◽

Farwa Iqbal ◽

Muhammad Azeem Rao

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Medical Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Total Sample ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Online Relationships ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Objectives: The objectives of the study were to find out the prevalence of internet addiction and to determine the risk factors associated with internet addiction in medical students. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi from July 2018 to August 2019. Our study population included medical students from all the years of MBBS aged 18-25 years, who have been using the internet for the past two years or more. A Stratified random sampling technique was used. Seventy-six self-administered questionnaires were distributed in each year. Data was entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 25). Results: Out of the total sample of 380, the prevalence came out to be 90% (n=342). Two hundred and twenty-two 222 (58.4%) had mild, 115 (30.3%) had moderate, six (1.6%) had severe and 37 (9.7%) had no addiction. Out of the risk factors online friendships (p= 0.007), online relationships (P=0.035), online chatting (p= 0.009), online shopping (p= 0.009), online games (p=0.023) and online series/movies (p< 0.000) were statistically significant. Conclusion: The prevalence of internet addiction is high among medical students, which is mostly of a mild type. Internet addiction is more common in males and non-hostel residents. Other significant risk factors are online relationships, online gaming, and online series/movies. Keywords: Prevalence, internet, medical students, risk factors. Continuous...

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The Frequency and Related Factors of Internet Addiction in Externship and Internship Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, 2018

The Journal of Tolooebehdasht ◽

10.18502/tbj.v19i5.5170 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mina Danaei ◽

Ali Akbar Rohani ◽

Ali Sajadi ◽

Mohsen Momeni

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

The Internet ◽

Medical Sciences ◽

Chi Square ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Chi Square Test

Introduction: Internet addiction is a global phenomenon with an increasing trend in university students. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and factors affecting internet addiction in externship and internship medical students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on externship and internship medical students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2018 during a 6-month period using convenience sampling method. In this study, the valid and reliable self-administered questionnaire of “Kimberly-Young internet addiction questionnaire” was used to collect the research data. The attainable scores in this questionnaire range from 20 to 100, so that higher scores show greater dependence on the Internet. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20 using the Chi-square test. A significant level was set at lower than 0.05. Results: Among the participants, 46 participants (18.4%) were normal users, 127 (50.8%) were at risk, and 77 (30.8%) were addicted to the Internet. Among the demographic factors, a significant relationship was found between gender (p = 0.041) and educational level (p = 0.024) with Internet addiction. Conclusion: policymakers should pay particular attention to the issue of Internet addiction in medical students, since Internet addiction may cause these students to neglect their critical duties during externship and internship. In this regard, holding effective training courses can be helpful.

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Internet Addiction and Its Relationship to Gender, Depression and Anxiety Among Medical Students in Anbar Governorate-West of Iraq

International Quarterly of Community Health Education ◽

10.1177/0272684x20985708 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0272684X2098570

Author(s):

Ameel F Al Shawi ◽

Aseel K Hameed ◽

Aatika I Shalal ◽

Sara S Abd Kareem ◽

Mujtabaa A Majeed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

High Rate ◽

The Internet ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adolescent And Young Adults ◽

Self Administered Questionnaire

Introduction The rapid increase of internet using was associated with a rise in internet addiction (IA) especially among adolescent and young adults that may associated with underlying psychological disorders. The aims of the study: a) to estimate the prevalence of internet addiction among medical students in Anbar governorate, b) to assess the effect of internet addiction on mental health by measuring the association of IA with depression and anxiety among the students. Methods A cross sectional study was carried out during the period from February to April 2019. A self-administered questionnaire was used which consisted from demographic questions, the Young Internet Addiction test to evaluate the internet addiction among the subjects and the Depression Anxiety stress scales (DASS) for assessing the depression and anxiety symptoms among the medical students. Results 47.5% of the subjects had mild internet addiction, proportion of moderate addiction among the participants was 23%. There was a significant association between internet addiction with depression and anxiety. The subjects with internet addiction had OR = 2.302 for depression development (P < 0.001), also the students with internet addiction had OR= 3.088 for anxiety development (p < 0.001). Conclusion High rate of internet addiction among medical students in Anbar city- west of Iraq and there was significant association between internet addition and mental disorders of the subjects.

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Effect Of Internet Addiction On Academic Performance And Mental Health Of Medical Students

Journal of Bahria University Medical and Dental College ◽

10.51985/jbumdc2018063 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 09 (01) ◽

pp. 48-52

Author(s):

Ijaz Ali ◽

Ommia Kalsoom ◽

Syed Asif Jahanzeb Kazmi ◽

Tahir Ahmad Munir ◽

Zanib Qayyum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Academic Performance ◽

Medical Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

The Internet ◽

P Value ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference

Objective: Objective of this study was to determine internet addiction and its impact on mental health and academic performance in medical students. Methodology: One hundred medical students (male: 50, female: 50) aged 18–21 years were selected by convenience sampling in this cross-sectional study in Mahi-ud-din Islamic Medical college Mirpur AJK. A questionnaire of Young’s internet addiction test was used to identify the prevalence of Internet addiction, the purposes of Internet use, and their priority levels. Frequencies and level of mental health was measured using Mental health Battery by Singh and Gupta. Chi square test was applied and p value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Out of 100 students, 46 (male: 28, female: 18) were found to be slightly addicted, 53 students were average online users and only 01 male was severely addicted. There was no significant difference between male and female students in addiction level. However, males were more addicted than females. The major use of Internet was to communicate with friends and family and to watch songs and movies. 51 students used the Internet to assess information for their educational and learning activities. Some students with overuse of the Internet lead to insufficient sleep and affected their concentration levels in the class. Conclusion: Medical students experiencing problems due to Internet overuse and experiencing poor academic progress and lack of concentration while studying. The main use of the Internet was to communicate with friends and family and for entertainment.

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Internet usage among medical students: prevalence, addiction and health issues

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20213040 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 4030

Author(s):

Rini Raveendran ◽

Rajany Jose ◽

Sabitha Rose Jacob ◽

Ancy S. George ◽

Vinayak N. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Current Trend ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Simple Random Sampling ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Internet Usage ◽

Health Issues ◽

Cross Sectional

Background: Among students worldwide, internet addiction is becoming a major problem. As the number of internet users continue to grow explosively, social networking too grows exponentially. Therefore, it is important to study internet behaviour patterns. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of internet usage, addiction among medical students.Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among 227 medical students. Students aged between 17-24 years was selected by simple random sampling technique from the college. A self-administered questionnaire was used. It includes questions pertaining to sociodemographic status, attitude, practice based and Young’s internet addiction test.Results: The prevalence of internet addiction was 59%.113 (49.8%) students were average online users (mild addiction), 19 (8.4%) students were experiencing occasional and frequent problems (moderate addiction) and 2 (0.8%) severely addicted students Most of the study population initiated internet use between the ages of 16 -18 years, 89 (39%). Our study revealed that 196 (86.3%) students were using internet for educational purposes, 135 (59.5%) for entertainment and 189 (83.2%) for socialising. Headache was the commonest health problem 102 (44%) followed by sleep disturbances in 40 (17.6%), back pain in 14 (6.1%) and anxiety, stress, visual difficulties in 29 (15%) students.Conclusions: This research provides an insight into the current trend towards usage of the internet for academic as well as non-academic purposes among medical students. Health issues are a long term concern which need to be addressed on a war footing. Ergonomically placed interventional strategies are pertinent as a primary level of prevention.

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A cross-sectional study on internet addiction among medical students

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20170737 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 670 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cynthia Subhaprada S. ◽

Kalyani P.

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Simple Random Sampling ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

P Value ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical College

Background: Proliferation of the internet has provided better opportunities for communication, information and social interaction. The excessive undisciplined use by individuals has led to the emergence of the concept of internet addiction. Psychological and environmental factors in the lives of college students may leave them disproportionately vulnerable to Internet addiction. The main objective of this study was to measure prevalence of internet addiction and the usage pattern among undergraduate medical students.Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out among 95 undergraduate students of II MBBS, selected by simple random sampling, in Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, from January to February, 2016. A 20 item Young’s Internet Addiction test which is a Likert scale based interview schedule was used to measure the prevalence of internet addiction. Data was entered in MS Excel 2007 and analyzed. Chisquare test was applied and p value <0.05 considered significant.Results: Among the 95 study subjects, 62.2% were males and 37.8% were females. Males were more addicted to internet than females. The prevalence of internet addiction among the study subjects in the present study was 52.63% mild, 24.21% moderate, while 23.16% students reported normal internet usage. It was found that severity of internet addiction is inversely proportional to academic performance.Conclusions: Internet addiction is a growing health problem among medical students, hence necessary preventive and therapeutic interventions are vital to promote healthy and safe usage of Internet.

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Internet Addiction Status and Related Factors among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Western Iran

International Quarterly of Community Health Education ◽

10.1177/0272684x211025438 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0272684X2110254

Author(s):

Habibolah Khazaie ◽

Javad Yoosefi Lebni ◽

Jaffar Abbas ◽

Behzad Mahaki ◽

Fakhreddin Chaboksavar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Standard Deviation ◽

Medical Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Technology Use ◽

Standard Deviation Score ◽

The Internet ◽

Human Society ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Internet And Social Media

Background In recent years, Internet and social media technology use have emerged as an integral tool of human society, and the evolution of technological integration, cyberspace, and web-technology has become a common practice in educational institutions. Internet usage among students has played an indispensable role in learning behavior; however, the excessive usage of the internet and social media leads to internet addiction. This original study has performed a focalized scrutiny on revealing relationships between internet addiction and associated factors among the students of medicine, dentistry, and pharmaceutical departments. Methods This descriptive and analytical study recruited medical students from the Self-governing Education Incubator of Kermanshah. This survey distributed questionnaires among the respondents’ three departments, and this statistical data reported on 420 valid responses of the respondents. They represent first and second-semester medical students of the academic year 2017–2018. The study selected medical students by applying Cochran's Sample Size Formula through Stratified Random Sampling and cross-sectional research design. The survey has utilized a demographic questionnaire of Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) for the data collection. The study analyzed received data by using SPSS version 23 and performed the descriptive statistics, and analytical statistics (t-test and ANOVA). Results The results of the present study established that the majority of subjects were female students (53.3%), and the average age was 23.84 ± 2.14, including the students of all departments. Besides, findings specified that the overall mean and standard deviation scores were 3.34 and ±0.88. Internet addiction revealed mean and the standard deviation score measured for all students 3.29 ± 0.73, 3.17 ± 0.92, and 3.57 ± 0.64 correspondingly. The survey results illustrated that medical students’ internet addiction substantially correlated with demographic variables, such as age, marital status, the field of study, academic term, significant time of consuming the internet, the key reason of utilizing the internet, and daily usage of the internet ( p < .05). Conclusion The results of the study specified that 25% of medical students showed internet addiction. The students are increasingly using the internet, and it has penetrated among students. The design and implementation of adequate educational programs and the application of internet-based efficiency interventions are essential for both knowledge acquisition and medical students’ healthy behavior.

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