Internet Addiction and it's Relationship with Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Medical Students at Faridabad, Haryana.

INTRODUCTION

Technology has drastically changed medical education, and the Internet is now an essential resource for research, communication, and information. However, excessive use of the internet, especially social media and gaming, can interfere with day-to-day activities and contribute to mental health conditions, including stress, anxiety, and depression. The main characteristic of internet addiction (IA) is excessive internet use that impairs or distresses a person. The purpose of this research is to determine the prevalence of IA and how it relates to stress, anxiety, and depression in the medical students at a tertiary care institute in Faridabad, Haryana.

METHODS

Using a Google form survey, 576 medical students participated in a cross-sectional study. The Young Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-42 (DASS-42) and sociodemographic data were all included in the study. Chi Square, the Fischer Exact test, the Mann Whitney U test, and independent t-tests were among the statistical tests used to examine the data using STATA 17. The institute's ethics committee granted ethical approval.

RESULTS

Participants' average age was 21.8 years, and 56.9% of them were men. 50.2% of people had IA, of which 35.9% had mild IA, 11.9% moderate, and 2.3% severe. The prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression among students was 35.1%, 59.2%, and 55.9%, respectively. Multivariable regression analysis indicated a significant association between IA and higher scores on the DASS-42 for depression, anxiety, and stress (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Medical students had a significant burden of internet addiction. Internet addiction was found to be significantly associated with the Depression, Anxiety and Stress among medical students.