A study of prevalance of internet addiction and its association with depression and anxiety among medical students

Authors : Alok N Ghanate, Dilpreet Kaur Jattana, Vani Vijra, Abdul Rafe Muqtadeer Baig

DOI : 10.18231/j.tjp.2019.028

Volume : 5

Issue : 2

Year : 2019

Page No : 133-140

Introduction: With the advent of technology, medical education has been transformed to the extent that internet has become a necessary part of it. The use of Internet ranges from purely academic purposes like acquisition of knowledge and research to completely leisure activities. While proper use of internet has its own benefits, problematic internet use can disrupt occupational and social life. It has been reported to be allied with anxiety disorders, introversion, pathological gambling, personality disorders, bipolar disorder and depression in young people. DSM-V classifies Internet Gaming Disorder in Section III and in the beta draft of ICD-11 it is included as a diagnosis under disorders due to addictive behaviours (6C51).

Aim: To study the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with Depression and Anxiety among Medical Students.

Materials and Methods: Cross sectional study involving 700 medical students who were using internet for more than 6 months duration was conducted. A pretested self-reported questionnaire, Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Beck’s Anxiety Inventory and Beck’s Depression scale were administered. Statistical analysis was done using latest IBM SPSS 2.0 Software.

Results: Majority of the students 51.8 % belonged to 21-25 years age group. The prevalence of Internet Addiction was found out to be 19.1% with moderate addiction of 17.4%, and severe addiction of 1.7%. Among the internet addicts, 58.9% reported anxiety symptoms and 32.8% scored high on Becks Depression Scale.

Conclusion: Around 1/5^th of our sample had internet addiction which had positive correlation with Depression & Anxiety, indicating need for preventive measures like proper education, support groups and physical activities etc.

Keywords: Internet addiction (IA), Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck’s Depression Scale (BDS).

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