Gender differences in psychosomatic symptoms associated with problematic Internet use among adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Excessive Internet usage may lead to problematic Internet use (PIU) with significant functional, social, or occupational consequences. We investigated whether the association between PIU and psychosomatic symptoms varied between genders among adolescents in Saudi Arabia. School students (grades 7-12; <i>n</i> = 1599) from two major cities in Saudi Arabia participated in this cross-sectional study. PIU was assessed with Young's Internet Addiction Test (YIAT), and psychosomatic symptoms were evaluated using the Health Behavior in School-aged Children Symptom Checklist (HBSC SCL). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models examined the associations between PIU and psychosomatic symptoms and their variance between genders. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 16 (2) years, and more than half (52.2%) were girls. The prevalence of PIU in this sample was 35.6%. Irritability or bad temper (14.3%) was the highest reported daily psychosomatic symptom, while 12.6% of participants suffered from daily sleep difficulty, and 11.8% reported nervousness. Stomachache was the least common health complaint (5.6%). Collectively, 12.8% of participants experienced ≥3 psychosomatic symptoms daily, and 26% of girls with PIU suffered from them. Girls with PIU were significantly more likely (OR = 6.2, 95% CI = 3.95-9.60) to have ≥3 daily symptoms than boys without PIU after adjusting for other covariates. Overall, psychosomatic symptoms are more common among adolescent girls with PIU than girls without PIU and more than boys with or without PIU. Measures to decrease PIU in this group are necessary to reduce the odds of developing these psychosomatic symptoms.