Prevalence of Internet Addiction and its association with depression, anxiety and stress among Medical Students in Malaysia

Ali Sabri Radeef, Ghasak Ghazi Faisal

Abstract


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).


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. 


Keywords


Internet addiction; Depression; Anxiety; Stress; Students; Malaysia

Full Text:

PDF

References


American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5).

Beavers L, Bell RL, Choudhury D, Guyot W, Meier R. (2015). Online Time and Gender Perceptions of Internet Addiction. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 15(3),84.

Casale S, Lecchi S, Fioravanti G.(2015). The association between psychological well-being and problematic use of Internet communicative services among young people. The Journal of psychology,149 (5),480-97.

Chen SH, Weng LC, Su YJ et al. (2003). Development of Chinese Internet Addiction Scale and its psychometric study. Chin J Psychol, 45, 279-94.

Cheng C, Li AY. (2014). Internet addiction prevalence and quality of (real) life: A meta-analysis of 31 nations across seven world regions. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17 (12), 755-60.

Ching SM, Hamidin A, Vasudevan R, Sazlyna MS, Wan Aliaa WS, Foo YL, Yee A, Hoo FK. (2017). Prevalence and factors associated with internet addiction among medical students-A cross-sectional study in Malaysia. Med J Malaysia, 72(1), 7.

Chou C, Condron L, Belland JC. (2005) A review of the research on Internet addiction. Educ Psychol Rev, 17, 363-88.

D'Souza L, Manish S & Raj S. (2018). Relationship between academic stress and internet addiction among college students. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 6(2), 100-108

Haque M, Rahman NA, Majumder MA, Haque SZ, Kamal ZM, Islam Z, Haque AE, Rahman NI, Alattraqchi AG. (2016). Internet use and addiction among medical students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia. Psychology research and behavior management, 9, 297.

Internet Users Survey 2017. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/MCMC-Internet-Users-Survey-2017.pdf

J Kuss D, D Griffiths M, Karila L, Billieux J. (2014). Internet addiction: a systematic review of epidemiological research for the last decade. Current pharmaceutical design, 20(25),4026-52.

Kesici, S., & Sahin, I. (2010). Turkish adaptation study of Internet Addiction Scale. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 13(2),185–189.

Ko CH, Yen JY, Chen SH, Yang MJ, Lin HC, Yen CF. (2009). Proposed diagnostic criteria and the screening and diagnosing tool of Internet addiction in college students. Comprehensive psychiatry, 50(4),378-84.

Lam LT, Peng ZW, Mai JC, Jing J.(2009). Factors associated with Internet addiction among adolescents. Cyberpsychology & behavior, 12(5), 551-5.

Liu, C. Y., & Kuo, F. Y. (2007). A study of Internet addiction through the lens of the interpersonal theory. Cyberpsychology Behavior, 10(6), 799–804.

Lovibond SH &Lovibond PF. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Sydney: 2nd. Edn. Psychology Foundation.

Malviya A, Dixit S, Shukla H, Mishra A, Jain A, Tripathi A. (2014). A Study to evaluate Internet addiction disorder among students of a medical college and associated hospital of central India. Natl J Community Med,5(1), 93–95.

Mihara S, Osaki Y, Nakayama H, Sakuma H, Ikeda M, Itani O, Kaneita Y, Kanda H, Ohida T, Higuchi S. (2016). Internet use and problematic Internet use among adolescents in Japan: a nationwide representative survey. Addictive behaviors reports, 4,58-64.

Ostovar S, Allahyar N, Aminpoor H, Moafian F, Nor MB, Griffiths MD. (2016). Internet addiction and its psychosocial risks (depression, anxiety, stress and loneliness) among Iranian adolescents and young adults: A structural equation model in a cross-sectional study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 14(3), 257-67.

Othman Z, Lee CW. (2017). Internet addiction and depression among college students in Malaysia. International Medical Journal, 24(6), 447-50.

Poli R. (2017) Internet addiction update: diagnostic criteria, assessment and prevalence. Neuropsychiatry, 7(1), 04-8.

Radeef AS, Faisal G. G. (2016). Depression, anxiety and stress with possible sources of stressors among undergraduate medical students in Malaysia. Brunei International Medical Journal (BIMJ), 12(1), 18-25.

Radeef AS, Faisal GG, Musa R. (2018). Translation and Validation Study of the Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS) among Malaysian college students. Journal of International Dental and Medical Research, 11(1), 32-7.

Reed P, Reay E. (2015).Relationship between levels of problematic Internet usage and motivation to study in university students. Higher Education, 70 (4),711-23.

Sadock BJ, Sadock VA. (2015). Anxiety disorders. Kaplan and Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry. Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry. 11th Edn. Wolters Kluwer, 9,387-417.

Saleem M, Waseem M, Khan R, Ismail R. (2015). Internet Addiction: It’s Relation with Loneliness among Undergraduate Students of South-Punjab, Pakistan. Science International Lahore, 27(2),1469-79.

Salehi M, Khalili MN, Hojjat SK, Salehi M, Danesh A. (2014). Prevalence of internet addiction and associated factors among medical students from Mashhad, Iran in 2013. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, 16(5).

Samuel E Wood, Ellen Green Wood, and Denise Boyd. (2004). Mastering the world of psychology. Health and stress. Person Education, Inc, 10, 286-311.

Shapira NA, Lessig MC, Goldsmith TD, Szabo ST, Lazoritz M, Gold MS, et al. (2003). Problematic Internet use: proposed classification and diagnostic criteria. Depress Anxiety,17, 207-16.

Siraj HH, Salam A, Hasan NA, Jin TH, Roslan RB, Othman MN. (2015). Internet usage and academic performance: a study in a Malaysian public university. International Medical Journal ,22(2), 83-6.

Sussman S, Lisha N, Griffiths M. (2011). Prevalence of the addictions: a problem of the majority or the minority? Evaluation & the health professions, 34(1), 3-56.

Tran BX, Hinh ND, Nguyen LH, Le BN, Nong VM, Thuc VT, Tho TD, Latkin C, Zhang MW, Ho RC. (2017). A study on the influence of internet addiction and online interpersonal influences on health-related quality of life in young Vietnamese. BMC Public Health, 17(1),138.

Tsai HF, Cheng SH, Yeh TL, Shih CC, Chen KC, Yang YC, Yang YK. (2009). The risk factors of Internet addiction—a survey of university freshmen. Psychiatry research, 167(3),294-9.

Usman NH, Alavi M, Shafeq SM. (2014) Relationship between internet addiction and academic performance among foreign undergraduate students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,114, 845-51.

Valentini M, Biondi M.(2016). The emergence of behavioral addictions. Riv. Psichiatri, 51(1), 85-86.

Van der Aa N, Overbeek G, Engels RCME, Scholte RHJ, Meerkerk GJ, van den Eijnden RJJM. (2009). Daily and compulsive Internet use and well-being in adolescence: A diathesis-stress model based on Big Five personality traits. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 765-76.

Van Rooij AJ, Prause N. (2014). A critical review of Internet addiction criteria with suggestions for the future. J. Behav. Addict, 3(4), 203-213.

World Internet Users and 2018 Population Stats. www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm.

Yan W, Li Y, Sui N. (2014).The relationship between recent stressful life events, personality traits, perceived family functioning and internet addiction among college students. Stress and Health, 30(1),3-11.

Younes F, Halawi G, Jabbour H, El Osta N, Karam L, Hajj A, Khabbaz LR. (2016). Internet addiction and relationships with insomnia, anxiety, depression, stress and self-esteem in university students: a cross-sectional designed study. PloS one, 11(9),e0161126.

Young K. (2009). Internet addiction: diagnosis and treatment considerations. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 39(4), 241-6.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.6092/2282-1619/2018.6.1987

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.