Abstract
BackgroundInternet addiction (IA) has emerged as a public health concern, particularly among adolescents and young adults. However, few studies have been conducted in medical students. This multi-center study aimed to investigate the prevalence of IA in Chinese medical students, to examine the associations of big five personality traits with IA in the population, and to explore the possible mediating role of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in the relationship.MethodsSelf-reported questionnaires, including Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Big Five Inventory (BFI), Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-V1.1 (ASRS-V1.1) Screener, and socio-demographic section were distributed to clinical students at 3 medical schools in China. A total of 1264 students became the final subjects.ResultsThe overall prevalence of IA among Chinese medical students was 44.7% (IAT > 30), and 9.2% of the students demonstrated moderate or severe IA (IAT ≥ 50). After adjustment for covariates, while conscientiousness and agreeableness were negatively associated with IA, neuroticism was positively associated with it. ADHD symptoms mediated the associations of conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism with IA.ConclusionThe prevalence of IA among Chinese medical students is high. Both personality traits and ADHD symptoms should be considered when tailored intervention strategies are designed to prevent and reduce IA in medical students.
Highlights
Internet addiction (IA) has emerged as a public health concern, among adolescents and young adults
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms mediated the associations of conscientiousness (a * b = − 0.085, 95% CI: − 0.110, − 0.066), agreeableness (a * b = − 0.041, 95% CI: − 0.063, − 0.022) and neuroticism (a * b = 0.068, 95% CI: 0.047, 0.093) with IA
While the robust associations of ADHD with personality traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism, as well as IA have been confirmed by prior meta-analyses [14, 34], this study examined the mediating effects of ADHD symptoms on the associations of the three personality traits with IA
Summary
Internet addiction (IA) has emerged as a public health concern, among adolescents and young adults. Few studies have been conducted in medical students. IA has emerged as an important issue in the fields of public health and psychiatry. Recent studies have revealed that the prevalence of IA among college students varies significantly, ranging from 3.2% in British students, to 16.3% in Italian students, and 21.2% in Chinese students [9,10,11]. This wide difference in prevalence can partly be attributed to different assessment instruments.
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