Assessment of Internet Addiction among Undergraduate Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Medical College of Kolkata

• Main Authors: Santanu Ghosh, Supantha Chatterjee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited 2018-04-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research
• Subjects: behaviour; online communication; questionnaire; young generation
• Online Access: https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/11440/31433_F(SHU)_PF1(BT_RA_MLS_AnG)_PFA(MLS_AP)_PB(MLS_AP)_PN(AP).pdf

Introduction: Internet use is an important activity of the young generation for academic learning, for maintaining social relationship and for entertainment. Sometimes, internet use by students reaches an exaggerated stage to call it an addiction because it jeopardises their psychological stability. Aim: The present study was conducted among undergraduate medical students to assess the pattern of internet use to classify levels of internet addiction and to find out possible associated factors related to internet addiction. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate students of 1st and 3rd semester batches of College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital (CMSDH), Kamarhati, West Bengal, India, from November to December, 2015. The relevant data were collected by complete enumeration. The Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) questionnaire was used. Final population size was 155, out of 203 students. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Proportion and chi-square test were used wherever applicable. Results: Two participants were found to have severe internet addiction whereas 54.2% had mild to moderate addiction. Factors such as male gender, average duration of internet use per day and amount of money spent by them for internet use were found to be significantly associated with internet addiction. Other factors like religion, place of permanent residence, place of present stay, occupation of parents, educational status of parents, socioeconomic status were not significant statistically. Conclusion: Internet addiction has become a vital problem for medical students. Students should be counselled about the hazard of internet addiction. Duration of internet use must be restricted by parents and authorities. Parents should also delimit amount of pocket money for their childrens and should also monitor the monthly income and expenditure pattern of them.