Prevalence of internet addiction and its associated factors among medical students at Taiba University, Saudi Arabia.

Kolaib, Alshaima Mohammad A; Alhazmi, Abdullah Hasan H; Kulaib, Maisa Mohammad A · J Family Med Prim Care · 2020

cross_sectional · Level IV

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Abstract

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of internet addiction and its associated factors among medical students at Taibah University in Madinah, KSA. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 426 medical students from Taibah University, KSA. The 20-item Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was used to measure internet addiction. Most participants (40.8%) used the internet for 5-7 hours/day and mainly for social networking (88.5%) and for downloading media files. Approximately, 6% were classified as internet addicts and 42% had occasional problems. Internet addiction was correlated negatively with performance. Internet addiction was significantly higher among those who used the internet for more than 10 hours/day (<i>P</i> < 0.001), those who used the internet mostly for downloading media files (<i>P</i> = 0.005) and for social networking (<i>P</i> = 0.005). Internet addiction among medical students is relatively high. Preventative measures like awareness campaigns are recommended to minimize internet addiction among university students.