Internet Addiction Test Scale Research Articles

Level of Internet Addiction & its correlates among Undergraduate Medical Students During Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: The beginning of the 21st century world has witnessed an explosive growth of internet usage, particularly in developing countries like India. The Internet has enriched our life but for many, internet use can grow into a problem, particularly health problems. Objectives: To find & correlate the Pattern of Internet use & Internet addiction level among undergraduate medical students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students (sample size=394) during the COVID-19 pandemic (July-August 2022) period by using the Internet Addiction Test scale. Levels of internet addiction and frequency distribution like percentage and proportion were used for analysis. Results: About 49.60% of the students were found addicted to the Internet as per the analysis of the Internet Addiction test (IAT) scale; among them, 71% were addicted mildly, 24% moderately, whereas 5% were found severely addicted to Internet use. The most common reason of internet use among the students was to download/watch videos/movies. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, quarantine & online classes made compulsion to use smartphones Internet has allowed spending more time on the Internet.

Management of Gadget Addiction Through Ayurveda in Pediatric Patient: A Single Case Study

11-year-old male patient brought by relatives in Kaumarbhritya OPD with complaints of spending excessive time on smartphones andcomputers with changes in the patient's behavior since 1 year. Relatives counseled the patient, but he didn't change his behavior. Previous Doctorsadvised Cognitive behavioral therapy, but that facility was not available at their place, and the parents could not afford it. Hence they came toAyurveda Hospital. The patient is assessed using the Internet addiction test scale and DSM-V scale for social behavior. The patient is diagnosed as acase of Gadget addiction (internet addiction) with abnormal social behavior. After proper physical examinations, the patient is counseled inexplaining the hazardous effects of excessive use of gadgets; along with this, he is advised daily Suryanamskara, &Dhyana(meditation) as a Yogaintervention. The patient was advised to play outdoor games daily, and his gadgets using time were reduced by systematic order. Parents wereadvised to be patient in family functions and social meetings & to spend time with children. All the training regarding intervention is given in PPTformat to the patient. The patient was asked to perform Suryanamaskara on follow-up days. On the 91st day, the patient was reassessed using theInternet addiction test scale and DSM-V scale for social behavior, which were normal. Gadget addiction is a common behavioral problem inchildren. Online gaming, gambling, excessive web browsing, and social media use are all included under the umbrella term "gadget addiction.". Evenif there is treatment for gadget addiction, people in remote areas may find it inconvenient due to a lack of infrastructure and specialized pediatricpsychologists. Hence, finding an effective and convenient treatment for Gadget addiction is necessary. This study aims to assess the efficacy ofAyurvedic management in Gadget addiction based on Ayurveda Non-pharmacological intervention. Any addiction results from bad decision-makingcapacity and less control over the mind. The intervention in this study, like Yoga, satvavajaya, proves beneficial to the patient.

Addiction Symptom Network of Young Internet Users: Network Analysis.

An increasing number of people are becoming addicted to the internet as a result of overuse. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) is a popular tool for evaluating internet use behaviors. The interaction between different symptoms and the relationship between IAT and clinical diagnostic criteria are not well understood. This study aimed to explore the core symptoms of internet addiction (IA) and the correlation between different symptoms of the IA symptom network. Network analysis was also conducted to explore the association between the IAT scale and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th edition (DSM-5) criteria for IA. We recruited 4480 internet users (aged 14-24 years), and they completed the IAT. The final analysis included 63.50% (2845/4480) of the participants after screening the submitted questionnaires. Participants were classified into IA group and non-IA (NIA) group. By using partial correlation with Lasso regularization networks, we identified the core symptoms of IA in each group and compared the group differences in network properties (strength, closeness, and betweenness). Then, we analyzed the symptom networks of the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and IAT scale for IA. A total of 12.47% (355/2845) of the patients were in the IA group and 87.52% (2490/2845) of the patients were in the NIA group, and both groups were evaluated for the following nodes: IAT_06 (school work suffers; strength=0.511), IAT_08 (job performance suffers; strength=0.531), IAT_15 (fantasize about being on the web; strength=0.474), IAT_17 (fail to stop being on the web; strength=0.526), and IAT_12 (fear about boredom if offline; strength=0.502). The IA groups had a stronger edge between IAT_09 (defensive or secretive about being on the web) and IAT_18 (hidden web time) than the NIA groups. The items in DSM-5 had a strong association with IAT_12 (weight=-0.066), IAT_15 (weight=-0.081), IAT_17 (weight=-0.106), IAT_09 (weight=-0.198), and IAT_18 (weight=-0.052). The internet use symptom network of the IA group is significantly different from that of the NIA group. Nodes IAT_06 (school work affected) and IAT_08 (work performance affected) are the resulting symptoms affected by other symptoms, whereas nodes IAT_12 (fear about boredom if offline), IAT_17 (inability to stop being on the web), and IAT_15 (fantasize about being on the web) are key symptoms that activate other symptoms of IA and are strongly linked to the inability to control the intention to play games in the DSM-5.

Depression and Its Association With Self-Esteem and Lifestyle Factors Among School-Going Adolescents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

IntroductionDepression is a prevalent mental health condition worldwide and in Malaysia. Depression among adolescents has been steadily increasing. Self-esteem has been known to be associated with depression. It has been postulated that a poor lifestyle among adolescents is associated with depression. This paper aims to study the correlation of self-esteem, lifestyle (eating behavior, physical activity, and internet usage) with depression among Malaysian youth.MethodologyThis is a cross-sectional study among secondary school children from 5 random schools in an urban city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Those with intellectual disability and/or difficulty to comprehend Malay language, and without parental consent and assent, were excluded. Students from randomly selected classes aged 13-year-old to 17-year-old were invited to fill in these questionnaires: Socio-demographic Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-esteem Questionnaire, Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ-A), Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaires (EDE-Q), Internet Addiction Test Scale (IAT), and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI).Result461 students participated in the study. 21.5% of the participating students were found to have depression (n = 99). Younger age and Chinese race showed significant association with adolescent depression with a p-value of 0.032 and 0.017 respectively. Other significant correlations with depression were self-esteem (p = 0.013), disordered eating (p = 0.000), lower physical activity (p = 0.014) and problematic internet usage (p = 0.000).DiscussionThe prevalence of depression among adolescents in this study (21.5%) is in line with previous prevalence studies in Malaysia. Self-esteem is postulated to be a moderating factor for depression hence explaining the significant association. A sedentary lifestyle may increase the risk of developing depression, The causal relationship between problematic internet usage and depression is complex and difficult to establish. This is similar to the relationship between problematic eating behavior and depression as well.ConclusionThere is still a need to explore the causal relationship between lifestyle factors and depression among youth. Despite that, the results from this paper have accentuated the gravity of the importance of a healthy lifestyle among adolescents. An appropriate preventive measure is governmental strategies and policies aiming at improving a healthier lifestyle in this age group.

Shyness and Psychological Well-Being as Predictors of Problematic Internet Use Among Students in Pakistan

This research was aimed to study the relationship between the variables of shyness and psychological well-being as the predictors of problematic internet use (PIU). The study was carried out on a sample of 400 students. The sample included 191 men (47.8%) and 209 women (52.2%) from the University of Sargodha. The age range of participants in the sample was 18 to 24 years ( M = 21, S.D = 4.24). The three variables of the study including shyness, psychological well-being, and problematic internet use were assessed with the shyness questionnaire, flourishing scale, and internet addiction test scale (IAT), respectively. To determine the psychometric soundness of instruments, descriptive and internal consistency levels of all the study variables were measured. The main statistical analyses included correlation, t-test, and regression analysis. The correlational analysis of overall results revealed the significant positive correlation of shyness and a significant negative correlation of psychological well-being with problematic internet use. The t-test revealed that problematic internet use and psychological well-being were significantly different according to gender. Furthermore, the results of linear regression analysis divulged that shyness positively predicts problematic internet use, while psychological well-being negatively predicts problematic internet use. Also, regression analysis on the gender indicated that being male was a predictor of greater PIU. Implications of the study along with its limitations were discussed and recommendations for further research were highly suggested.

Prevalence of Internet Addiction among Higher Secondary Level Students in Kathmandu District

Internet addiction is defined as an impulse control disorder, which is very similar to pathological gambling. It is typically characterized by psychomotor agitation, anxiety, craving depression, hostility, substance experience, preoccupation, loss of control, impairment of function, reduced decision-making ability, and constant online surfing despite negative effects on social and psychological welfare. An institutional based cross-sectional study with a sample comprising of 422 college students (15 – 19 age group) across Kathmandu District was conducted from November 9th – 23rd, 2014. Students were assessed with a structured questionnaire and Internet Addiction Test (IAT) scale, which was anonymously selfadministered. The collected data was analyzed with the help of SPSS version 20 and interpreted. This survey depicts internet penetration rate was 97.3%. The possible addicts/internet addict students were found to spent average of 34 hours per week, compared to the 11 hours of average users. Male students were more possible addicts/internet addicts than female students. This survey found statistically significant difference between average users and possible addicts/internet addicts based on their Family Characteristics which consisted of variables such as economic status (p = 0.001), within family relationship (p = 0.009), ownership of computer/laptop at home (p < 0.001) and loneliness level at home (p < 0.001). Based on the interpersonal relationship at college, there was no significant difference between average users and possible/ internet addicts except for the relationship with classmates (p = 0.024). Overall, the prevalence of internet addiction among higher secondary level students according to this survey was found to be 2.57. As a result of IAT scale, the prevalence of internet addiction among higher secondary level students of Kathmandu District according to this survey was found to be 2.57.
 Key words: Adolescent, Internet addiction, Internet Addiction Test, Internet Penetration Rate, Nepal, Prevalence

Internet addiction and its mental health correlates among undergraduate college students of a university in North India.

Introduction:Internet addiction (IA) is an emerging phenomenon among the youth of India. It has been found to be associated with mental health problems. This study was therefore conducted to find out the burden of IA among college students in Delhi, its risk factors and association with depression, anxiety, and stress.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted, with face-to-face interviews, among the nonprofessional college students of the University of Delhi. Simple random sampling was used to select the students from the list obtained from the three colleges. Young's IA test scale and depression, anxiety, and stress short scale were used to measure IA and the mental health correlates, respectively. Chi-square tests were applied for testing the association of IA with the sociodemographic variables, the variables related to internet usage patterns, and the mental health variables. Independent predictors were determined using logistic regression modeling.Results:The prevalence of IA was 25.3%. The mean (standard deviation) age of the participants was 19.1 (1.02) years and 62.1% were males. The median family income was INR 50,000. IA was significantly associated with higher family income, greater screen time, always online status, and greater duration of internet use per week. The independent predictors of IA were greater duration of internet use per week and always online status, depression, anxiety, and stress.Conclusion:The burden of IA among the college students was high. depression, anxiety, and stress were found to be independent predictors of IA.

Relationship between internet use and depression: Focus on physiological mood oscillations, social networking and online addictive behavior

The aim of the research was to investigate the potential relationship between internet addiction and depression in adolescents. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on a sample of 336 high school students in Belgrade, Serbia. Each student was given a questionnaire consisting of Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC), Young Internet Addiction Test (IAT) as well as general questions related to internet and social networking site (SNS) use. The results of our study indicate that internet use and level of internet addiction measured with IAT scale are positively correlated with depressive symptoms. No such relationship existed between the time spent on social networking sites and depression, as well as between depression symptoms and SNS-related activities such as the number of Facebook friends. Neither the time spent on SNSs nor SNS-related activities had significant effect on the observed relationship between level of internet addiction and depression.

Description of Internet Addiction among Chilean Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Internet addiction (IA) has been described as an emerging behavior related to the development of new technologies, with scarce studies on the subject and none involving medical students. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) is a screening instrument used to detect IA worldwide, which was published in 1998 and inspired by the DSM-IV criteria for pathologic gambling. The objective of this study aims to measure the prevalence of IA in Chilean medical students and its possible association with demographic variables and depressive symptoms. First- to fifth-year undergraduate medical students at a medical school in Santiago de Chile answered a self-administered survey that included demographic data, the IAT scale, and the Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to screen for IA and depressive symptoms, respectively. Three hundred eighty-four students participated, achieving a response rate of 69.8 %, of which 11.5 % were classified as problematic users according to the IAT. The authors found a statistical association between positive results on the IAT and positive scores on the GHQ-12, as well as with the male gender. In this first study of IA in medical students, the authors found a rate of incidence similar to what has been published in the literature focusing on college students. Additionally, there was a positive association between emotional symptoms and other abuse behaviors.

Factor structure for Young’s Internet Addiction Test: A confirmatory study

A number of diagnostic scales have been developed in recent years to assess Internet addiction. To better understand the structure, validity, and reliability of such assessment instruments, Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was evaluated using a confirmatory approach. Data collected through a survey of 410 Hong Kong university undergraduates was subjected to exploratory factor analysis and data from a hold-out sample was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis in order to assess the psychometric properties and factor structure of the IAT scale. Three dimensions, namely, “Withdrawal and Social Problems”, “Time Management and Performance”, and “Reality Substitute” were extracted. These dimensions were then correlated with a number of criterion variables, including academic performance, online activities, gender, and Internet usage. The results show that academic performance was negatively correlated with the Internet addiction scores. The degree of Internet addiction was also found to vary across different types of online activity, with people engaged in cyberrelationships and online gambling having higher Internet addiction scores.