Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of Internet addiction (IA) among employed adults has not been reported using a large sample. To clarify the actual status of addictive Internet use among employed adults, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and the risk factors of IA and at-risk IA among employed adults in Japan.MethodsThis cross-sectional study surveyed all junior and senior high school personnel in Shimane Prefecture, a rural area in Japan. Eligible participants included 3,211 junior and senior high school personnel (1,259 men and 1,952 women). Participants completed a questionnaire on their activities and factors related to Internet use.ResultsThe prevalence of IA and at-risk IA was 0.03% and 4.82%, respectively. Furthermore, game playing was shown to be the Internet activity most closely associated with at-risk IA.ConclusionsThis study showed that around 5% of school personnel in a rural area in Japan are at risk for developing addiction to the Internet and that using the Internet for game playing is related to at-risk IA. Our results suggest that employed adults should be instructed to use the Internet properly.
Highlights
Internet addiction (IA) is becoming both a health and social problem among the general population with the spread of Internet access
To clarify the actual status of addictive Internet use among employed adults, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and the risk factors of IA and at-risk IA among school personnel in Japan
The at-risk IA group had a higher proportion of part-time teachers, whereas the non-IA group had a lower proportion of administrators and teachers
Summary
Internet addiction (IA) is becoming both a health and social problem among the general population with the spread of Internet access. Previous studies have reported that the prevalence of IA among minors is approximately 10% worldwide.[4,5,6] The prevalence of IA among adults has been reported to be around 1.2% to 8%.7–14. While the difference in prevalence of IA is reported between employed and unemployed adults,[15] to our knowledge, no studies have evaluated the prevalence of IA for the employed separately using a large sample. The prevalence of Internet addiction (IA) among employed adults has not been reported using a large sample. To clarify the actual status of addictive Internet use among employed adults, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and the risk factors of IA and at-risk IA among employed adults in Japan
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