Ringxiety and internet addiction as factors affecting medical students’ behaviour during clinical rotations

This study aimed to analyse the experience of ringxiety among medical students and explore the relationships between ringxiety and Internet addiction in the context of phone usage behaviours among students, academic teachers, and patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a quantitative method with the Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) technique. The study group consisted of medical students from the third to the sixth year (N = 301), recruited from 18 medical universities in Poland. The study used an original questionnaire containing self-descriptive questions and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Ringxiety was reported by 38.1% of students, with men experiencing it more often than women (72.3%, p = 0.004). Only 8.0% of students were not classified as addicted. Self-worth scores were slightly lower in individuals without ringxiety (M = 5.88) compared to those with ringxiety (M = 6.01), though the difference was not statistically significant (t(252) = 0.57, p = 0.567). Students addicted to the Internet more frequently reported not experiencing ringxiety (59.7%, p = 0.002). The results of our study may raise awareness of ringxiety among students and highlight the need to limit mobile phone use during clinical classes by medical students and teaching physicians.