Internet addiction among medical students of Sohag University, Egypt.

Abstract

Internet use may have many drawbacks. Among the main threats caused by internet use is wasting time and lack of self-control over internet use, which amounts to the level of addiction with several deleterious consequences. The aim of the study is to identify the prevalence of internet addiction (IA) and associated factors among medical students in Sohag University, Egypt. The cross-sectional survey was conducted in October 2016 and November 2016 on a random sample of 587 students selected from three medical faculties in Sohag University. The self-administered questionnaire consisted of two sections; the first section was concerned with collecting the sociodemographic data, data about student's relations and internet use characteristics; the second one aimed at assessment of the level of IA using Young's 20-item scale for IA. The findings show that the prevalence of IA was 47.7%. Male sex, internet access on mobile phones, easy internet access at home, using internet for browsing social media and e-mail, and bad relation with the family were the most important predictors of IA. The high prevalence of IA among medical students in Sohag University (47.7%) is a matter of concern. Identification of factors significantly associated with IA can help in the planning of comprehensive programs to raise public awareness about the hazards and determinants of IA targeting the high-risk groups.