A study on the prevalence of internet addiction and associated depression among medical students of a government medical college of Bihar

Dr. Niska Sinha; Dr. Satish Kumar Sinha; Dr. Krishna Kumar Singh

Volume : VIII, Issue : XI, November - 2018

A study on the prevalence of internet addiction and associated depression among medical students of a government medical college of Bihar

Dr. Niska Sinha, Dr. Satish Kumar Sinha, Dr. Krishna Kumar Singh

Abstract :

Background: The use of internet in the modern day era has been on the rise and has affected the student population including the medical professionals and students. There is a concern about this that whether this is excessive amounting to addiction among the students and affecting their mental health.

Aims & Objectives: To study the prevalence of internet addiction and associated depression among medical students using internet.

Materials and Methods: A cross–sectional study was conducted with a sample size comprising of 260 medical students of Anugrah Narayan Medical College & Hospital, Gaya, Bihar after obtaining Ethical Committee approval. Students were assessed using a specially constructed semi–structured Performa, The Internet Addiction Test (IAT; Young, 1998) and Beck depression inventory (BDI). Data was evaluated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Inc. version 17.0).

Results: of the total students who took part in the study, 202 (77.7%) were males and 58 (22.3%) were females. The mean age was 23 years. Of the total, about 30.4% were moderate (average) users and14.6% was found to be addicts. Those with excessive use of internet had high scores on depression.

Conclusion: In the recent era of emerging massive internet use, we must guard against excessive internet use and be cautious regarding related psychopathology.