A Cross-sectional Study on Internet Addiction and Social Connectedness among Medical Undergraduate Students at University of Cyberjaya, Malaysia

Abstract

In 1995, Dr. Ivan Goldberg proposed the term “internet addiction” and it was defined as pathological compulsive use of internet. Internet addiction affects the quality of relationships in students’ lives. Students tend to lose their interest in socializing and interacting with people when they are addicted to the internet. According to a descriptive study, restriction of the relationship of students with their friends and family members is the main factor of social connectedness weakening. The objective of this study was to determine the association between internet addiction and social connectedness among medical students aged 18 years and above in the University of Cyberjaya (UOC). A cross-sectional online survey was conducted by delivering a google form to medical students at University of Cyberjaya (UOC) through multiple electronic platforms. Most of the respondents (77%) were not internet addicted where most of them were from Year 3 to Year 5 medical students (42.8%). About 68.4% of socially connected respondents were not internet addicted with a significant p value of 0.011 (p<0.05). Furthermore, 45.4% of respondents without social anxiety were not addicted to the internet. Overall, our research shows there is no considerable number of medical undergraduates from the University of Cyberjaya addicted to the internet, and there is no significant impact on social connectedness and social anxiety.