Prevalence Of Internet Addiction And Its Association With Depression, Anxiety And Stress Among Nursing Students Of Bhavnagar – A Cross-Sectional Study

Internet Addiction & Its Association With Depression Anxiety Stress And Academics Among Nursing Student

Abstract

Background: In these modern times of digitization, the use of Internet has become a part of everyday life. Exponential use of internet has resulted in internet addiction in recent times. Students are particularly at risk because of their unique personal and academic needs. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of internet addiction (IA) and its relationship to depression, anxiety, stress and academic performance among nursing students of Bhavnagar. Material And Methods: A cross?sectional study was conducted among nursing students of Government College of Nursing, Bhavnagar. A pretested, predesigned, self?administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Internet addiction was assessed using Young’s Internet addiction Scale while the prevalence and severity of depression, anxiety and stress were assessed by Depression Anxiety, Stress Scale. Result: Out of 364 students who had participated in the study, Majority (89.3%) of them were female. The mean age of the respondents with internet addiction was 19.4 years. The overall prevalence of Internet addiction was 42.6%, where mild IA was 28.8%, moderate IA was 12.6% and Severe IA was 1.1%. There was a significant association between Internet addiction and depression (odds ratio=7.61, p<.001), anxiety (odds ratio=5.54, p<.001), stress (odds ratio=9.35, p<.001) and academic performance (odds ratio=2.64, p<.05). Conclusion: Internet Addiction is potentially high among nursing students. It is a serious problem with a profound impact on mental health. Therefore, early intervention is crucial. It is necessary to take interventional measures and educate students about the optimal use of the Internet. [Makwana M Natl J Integr Res Med, 2023; 14(3): 19-24, Published on Dated: 18/05/2023]