Prevalence of Internet addiction and its association with depression, anxiety and stress among medical students in Malaysia
Background: Using the internet excessively by students is known to cause internet addiction (IA) which may result in negative consequences such as decline in academic performance, social isolation, and emotional disturbances. This study aims to assess IA and its association with emotional disturb...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
University of Messina, Italy
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/68859/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/68859/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/68859/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/68859/1/68859_Prevalence%20of%20Internet%20addiction%20and%20its%20association.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/68859/2/68859_Prevalence%20of%20Internet%20addiction%20and%20its%20association_WOS.pdf |
| Summary: | Background: Using the internet excessively by students is known to cause internet
addiction (IA) which may result in negative consequences such as decline in
academic performance, social isolation, and emotional disturbances. This study
aims to assess IA and its association with emotional disturbances among medical
students.
Methods: A sample of 268 medical students participated in this study. Internet
addiction was assessed using Malay version of Chen Internet addiction Scale while
the prevalence and severity of depression, anxiety and stress were assessed by
Depression Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21).
2 RADEEF & FAISAL
Results: The rate of IA among students was 22.8%. No significant differences in
terms of gender and other socio-demographic factors. IA was significantly
associated and positively correlated with depression and anxiety symptoms but has
inverse correlation with social interaction. Multiple linear regression analysis
showed that stress (β = 0.261, P = 0.005) was a significantly important risk factor.
Conclusions: IA is potentially high among medical students. Male and female
students are equally affected. IA is significantly higher among students with poor
social interaction. IA has a positive correlation with depression, anxiety and stress
symptoms but inverse correlation with social interaction and stress can be
considered as a predictive factor for IA. |
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