The Addiction of Sultan Qaboos University Students to Social Networking Sites (SNS)

Abstract

The present study aimed at identifying the prevalence of addiction of SNS among the students of Sultan Qaboos University, analyzing the most common symptoms of SNS addiction among them, and determining the categories which are most vulnerable to addiction to SNS. The study sample consisted of 237= 67% females and 33% males. The Alpha Cronbach coefficient for the SNS scale was 0.92, while for its three dimensions: emergence and relapse 0.85, endurance and conflict 0.81, mood adjustment and withdrawal 0.81. The results showed that the prevalence of SNS addiction among university students reached 21.1%. Endurance and conflict were the most common symptoms of SNS addiction among students. The multiple variance tests revealed that there were no significant differences among university students in terms of SNS addiction related to gender, while there were significant differences among them related to number of usage hours, GPA, and household income level.