Abstract
BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the relationships between the frequency of impairments in daily activities due to the overuse of the Internet, gaming, or smartphones (IGS) and sociodemographic characteristics, social relationships (including family) & activities, psychosocial characteristics, health status, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of Korean adults.MethodsSecondary data from the 2017 Community Health Survey, a large-scale sample survey conducted yearly in South Korea, were analyzed for 190,066 adults over 19 years of age. Three categories were created for impairment groups due to IGS overuse: No Impairment, Mild Impairment, and Moderate-to-Severe groups. And between-group differences were examined using a one-way ANOVA for health status measured with the EQ-5D-3 L and chi-square tests for all categorical dependent variables, which included sociodemographic characteristics, social relationships & activities, and psychosocial factors. The association between frequencies of daily activity impairments due to IGS overuse and the dependent variables were examined using a multivariate logistic regression analysis and a linear regression model.ResultsApproximately 21,345 (11.23%) of the 190,066 participants reported experiencing impairments in daily activities due to IGS overuse at least once in the previous year and the impairments were more severe in males than females. Participants experiencing impairments in daily activities contacted their friends a significantly higher number of times (4 times or more per month) and engaged in leisure activities more frequently (more than once per month) than those without impairments. There was also a significant positive relationship between IGS overuse and stress, depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. Among participants aged 19–64, impairments in daily activities due to IGS overuse were associated with a lower HRQoL. Conversely, for those aged 65 and over, mild and moderate-to-severe impairments due to IGS overuse were associated with a significantly higher HRQoL.ConclusionsIncreased impairments in daily activities due to IGS overuse may negatively affect mental health. However, among older adults, the frequency of such impairments was positively associated with HRQoL. This finding could be considered to apply interventions with Internet usage or ICT devices for older adults to enhance their quality of life.
Highlights
This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the frequency of impairments in daily activities due to the overuse of the Internet, gaming, or smartphones (IGS) and sociodemographic characteristics, social relationships & activities, psychosocial characteristics, health status, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of Korean adults
Among older adults, the frequency of such impairments was positively associated with HRQoL. This finding could be considered to apply interventions with Internet usage or information and communication technology (ICT) devices for older adults to enhance their quality of life
Given that smartphones are becoming the primary medium for accessing the Internet and gaming [10], we suggest that future research examine the differences in psychological and physical variables among individuals addicted to smartphones in order to help discern whether the addiction refers to the smartphone as a medium to the Internet and its resources, or to the smartphone itself
Summary
This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the frequency of impairments in daily activities due to the overuse of the Internet, gaming, or smartphones (IGS) and sociodemographic characteristics, social relationships (including family) & activities, psychosocial characteristics, health status, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of Korean adults. The number of people using smartphones predominantly for leisure activities (e.g., for online gaming, listening to music, watching videos, social networking services [SNS]) instead of communication (e.g. calling and messaging) has increased [4,5,6,7]. This phenomenon can be understood from two viewpoints: First, smartphone usage for leisure activities in lieu of desktop computers has been increasing; given their portability, smartphones are increasingly becoming the primary media for accessing the Internet and gaming [3], mainly because it enables people to perform various activities at any place and time [8, 9]. This study approached the use of the Internet, gaming, and smartphones as one integrated behavior, rather than as distinct behaviors
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