Abstract

Background: The Internet is an inevitable part of life especially in the education sector, but at the same time irrational use of the Internet causes behavioral disorders. A high number of personality disorders such as impulsive behavior, depression, anxiety, and stress were also observed among medical students.

Aim and Objectives: Hence, the present study hypothesized to find out the association of depression, anxiety, and stress with Internet addiction (IA) among young medical students.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 250 1st-year medical students after taking ethics approval and written informed consent. Personal information and socio-demographic profile of participants were obtained. Young IA Test and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) survey questionnaire was self-administered by participants. To identify the risk and protective factors for IA with DASS-21 step-wise multiple linear regression analyses were performed.

Results: The prevalence of IA was 24.0 % with mean scores (±Standard Deviation [SD]) of 39.01 (±16.99) among the medical students. Depression, anxiety, and stress mean scores (±SD) were 5.44 (±4.21), 4.94 (±3.84), 6.77 (±3.83), respectively. Students with IA had a statistically significant difference (P = 0.001) in all domains of DASS-21 over the non-internet addicted. A statistically significant positive relationship of IA with depression (coefficient of determination (R2), (R2 = 0.22)), anxiety (R2 = 0.26), and stress (R2 = 0.33) were observed.

Conclusions: 1/4th of the medical students were internet-addicted and 3.0% having severe anxiety. 22.0% of depression, 26.0% of anxiety, and 33.0% of stress among young medical students are attributable to IA. The rational use of the internet should be learned for psychological health and well-being.

Key words: Anxiety; Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21; Depression; Internet Addiction; Medical Students; Stress