Internet Addiction among Students: Study from a Medical College, Adilabad

Introduction: Usage of internet has increased drastically over the past few years and excessive use has negative health consequences posing a serious public health concern. Present study was undertaken with an objective to determine the internet addiction among students from a teaching medical college. Material & Methods: It was a cross sectional study done among 550 Undergraduate Medical students, Post graduates, BSC and allied science students. Internet Addiction Test (IAT) tool was used to assess the internet addiction. Students were explained about purpose of study and confidentiality of information was ensured. Results: Mean age of the respondents was 21.42 years with female preponderance (74.4%). In undergraduate and post graduate medical students, majority of them had mild and moderate addiction compared to BSC and allied science students. Among MBBS students, highest mean IAT score was found in 3rd year (44.47) followed by Internship & 4th year. No significant difference was observed in mean IAT score among post graduates. Among BSC students, 2nd and 3rd year students had higher mean IAT scores which was statistically significant (p=0.04). With regards to symptoms in specific, excessive use, neglect work, lack of control and neglect social life were statistically significant with category of students. Conclusions: High prevalence of Internet addiction was found in the present study across all the four categories of students included. A multidisciplinary approach involving students, parents, college faculty, psychiatrists, psychologist and stakeholder’s opinions and suggestions needs to be considered to tackle this global public health issue and to reduce its impact.