Internet addiction, mental health, and sleep quality in students of medical sciences, Iran: A cross-sectional study

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Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Internet addiction (IA) is a severe problem, especially in academic communities. The association between IA and unfavorable emotional conditions (e.g., anxiety, stress, and depression) can harm students’ relationships and academic and career performance. The present study evaluated (a) the prevalence of IA in a sample of medical sciences university students; (b) the association between IA and depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disorders; and (c) the association between demographic characteristics and IA, depression, anxiety, and stress.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 268 students from Abadan University of Medical Sciences were selected using Morgan Table. The participants responded to the Young Internet Addiction Test, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-42, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and least significant difference.

RESULTS:

The mean score of IA was 45.65 ± 35.40. IA was found to be significantly related to depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disorders (except for sleep disturbance) ( P < 0.001). Males were found to be more likely than females to suffer from IA, depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disorders. Furthermore, age was inversely related to IA, depression, and stress. Finally, medical sciences students suffered from depression, anxiety, and stress more than students majoring in other fields.

CONCLUSIONS:

The simultaneous occurrence of IA and depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disorders in students indicates that IA is associated with other psychological problems. Therefore, researchers and policymakers need to identify preventive measures to help internet-addicted students.

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Most cited references 53

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The structure of negative emotional states: Comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories

P.F. Lovibond, S.H. Lovibond (1995)

The psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) were evaluated in a normal sample of N = 717 who were also administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The DASS was shown to possess satisfactory psychometric properties, and the factor structure was substantiated both by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In comparison to the BDI and BAI, the DASS scales showed greater separation in factor loadings. The DASS Anxiety scale correlated 0.81 with the BAI, and the DASS Depression scale correlated 0.74 with the BDI. Factor analyses suggested that the BDI differs from the DASS Depression scale primarily in that the BDI includes items such as weight loss, insomnia, somatic preoccupation and irritability, which fail to discriminate between depression and other affective states. The factor structure of the combined BDI and BAI items was virtually identical to that reported by Beck for a sample of diagnosed depressed and anxious patients, supporting the view that these clinical states are more severe expressions of the same states that may be discerned in normals. Implications of the results for the conceptualisation of depression, anxiety and tension/stress are considered, and the utility of the DASS scales in discriminating between these constructs is discussed.

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The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research.

S Berman, D Kupfer, D J Buysse … (1989)

Despite the prevalence of sleep complaints among psychiatric patients, few questionnaires have been specifically designed to measure sleep quality in clinical populations. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a self-rated questionnaire which assesses sleep quality and disturbances over a 1-month time interval. Nineteen individual items generate seven "component" scores: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction. The sum of scores for these seven components yields one global score. Clinical and clinimetric properties of the PSQI were assessed over an 18-month period with "good" sleepers (healthy subjects, n = 52) and "poor" sleepers (depressed patients, n = 54; sleep-disorder patients, n = 62). Acceptable measures of internal homogeneity, consistency (test-retest reliability), and validity were obtained. A global PSQI score greater than 5 yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 89.6% and specificity of 86.5% (kappa = 0.75, p less than 0.001) in distinguishing good and poor sleepers. The clinimetric and clinical properties of the PSQI suggest its utility both in psychiatric clinical practice and research activities.

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The association between pathological internet use and comorbid psychopathology: a systematic review.

V Carli, T Durkee, D. Wasserman … (2013)

Pathological Internet use (PIU) has been conceptualized as an impulse-control disorder that shares characteristics with behavioral addiction. Research has indicated a potential link between PIU and psychopathology; however, the significance of the correlation remains ambiguous. The primary objective of this systematic review was to identify and evaluate studies performed on the correlation between PIU and comorbid psychopathology; the secondary aims were to map the geographical distribution of studies, present a current synthesis of the evidence, and assess the quality of available research. An electronic literature search was conducted using the following databases: MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsychINFO, Global Health, and Web of Science. PIU and known synonyms were included in the search. Data were extracted based on PIU and psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive symptoms, social phobia and hostility/aggression. Effect sizes for the correlations observed were identified from either the respective publication or calculated using Cohen's d or R(2). The potential effect of publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot model and evaluated by Egger's test based on a linear regression. The majority of research was conducted in Asia and comprised cross-sectional designs. Only one prospective study was identified. Twenty articles met the preset inclusion and exclusion criteria; 75% reported significant correlations of PIU with depression, 57% with anxiety, 100% with symptoms of ADHD, 60% with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and 66% with hostility/aggression. No study reported associations between PIU and social phobia. The majority of studies reported a higher rate of PIU among males than females. The relative risks ranged from an OR of 1.02 to an OR of 11.66. The strongest correlations were observed between PIU and depression; the weakest was hostility/aggression. Depression and symptoms of ADHD appeared to have the most significant and consistent correlation with PIU. Associations were reported to be higher among males in all age groups. Limitations included heterogeneity in the definition and diagnosis of PIU. More studies with prospective designs in Western countries are critically needed. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Educ Health Promot

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J Educ Health Promot

Journal ID (publisher-id): JEHP

Title: Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Publisher: Wolters Kluwer - Medknow (India )

ISSN (Print): 2277-9531

ISSN (Electronic): 2319-6440

Publication date Collection: 2021

Publication date (Electronic): 30 November 2021

Volume: 10

Electronic Location Identifier: 409

Affiliations

[1] Department of Health Information Technology, Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran

[1 ] Health Information Technology Department, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

[2 ] Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran

[3 ] Student Research Committee, Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran

Author notes

Address for correspondence: Miss. Leila Favaregh, Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Infront of Ayatollah Jami International Airport, Postal Code: 6313833177, Abadan, KHozestan, Iran. E-mail: favaregh.leila@ 123456gmail.com

Miss. Arezo Arzani-Birgani, Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Infront of Ayatollah Jami International Airport, Postal Code: 6313833177, Abadan, KHozestan, Iran. E-mail: aarzani23@ 123456yahoo.com

Article

Publisher ID: JEHP-10-409

DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1506_20

PMC ID: 8719569

PubMed ID: 35071615

SO-VID: 893a4712-282b-409b-a85c-b0388ef1aa3c

License:

This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

Internet addiction, mental health, and sleep quality in students of medical sciences, Iran: A cross-sectional study

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Abstract

BACKGROUND:

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

RESULTS:

CONCLUSIONS:

Related collections

Journal of Behavioral Addictions

Most cited references 53

The structure of negative emotional states: Comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research.

The association between pathological internet use and comorbid psychopathology: a systematic review.

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