Correlates of Problematic Internet Use among college and university students in eight countries: An international cross-sectional study

Yatan Pal Singh Balhara; Ana Doric; Dejan Stevanovic; Rajna Knez; Swarndeep Singh; Mita Rani Roy Chowdhury; Helin Yilmaz Kafali; Pawan Sharma; Zahir Vally; Tuong Vi Vu; Sidharth Arya; Aishita Mahendru; Ramdas Ransing; Gamze Erzin; Huynh Le Thi Cam Hong Le

doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2019.09.004

Correlates of Problematic Internet Use among college and university students in eight countries: An international cross-sectional study

Asian J Psychiatr. 2019 Oct:45:113-120. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.09.004. Epub 2019 Sep 5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Addictions Clinic (BAC), Department of Psychiatry and National Drug Dependence Treatment Center (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Professional Associate, Center for Applied Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Croatia. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Clinic for Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth, Dr Subotica 6a, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Department of Women´s and Children´s health, Skaraborgs Hospital, Skövde, Sweden; University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Blå stråket 15, 413 45 Göteborg, Sweden. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry and National Drug Dependence Treatment Center (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi,India. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Clinical Psychologist and UNDSS External Counselor, Bangladesh. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Ankara Children's Hematology and Oncology Training and Research Hospital Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁹ Assistant Professor, Psychology & Counseling - (CHSS), United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁰ South Vietnam HIV Addiction Technical Transfer Centre - University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹¹ Postdoctoral fellow in Addiction Medicine & Senior Resident Centre for Addiction Medicine, National institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Bengaluru, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹² Clinical Psychologist, South Asian University, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹³ Department of Psychiatry, B K L Walawalkar Rural Medical College, Sawarde, Ratnagiri - 415 606, Maharashtra, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁴ Diskapi Training and Research Hospital, Turkey. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁵ Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 31563832
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.09.004

Abstract

Background and aims: Internet use has increased worldwide exponentially over the past two decades, with no up-to-date cross-country comparison of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and its correlates available. The present study aimed to explore the pattern and correlates of PIU across different countries in the European and the Asian continent. Further, the stability of factors associated with PIU across different countries were assessed.

Materials and methods: An international, cross-sectional study with a total of 2749 participants recruited from universities/colleges of eight countries: Bangladesh, Croatia, India, Nepal, Turkey, Serbia, Vietnam, and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Participants completed the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale -2 (GPIUS2) assessing PIU, and the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety-Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS) assessing the depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Results: A total of 2643 participants (mean age 21.3 ± 2.6; 63% females) were included in the final analysis. The overall prevalence of PIU for the entire sample was 8.4% (range 1.6% to 12.6%). The mean GPIUS2 standardized scores were significantly higher among participants from the five Asian countries when compared to the three European countries. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were the most stable and strongest factors associated with PIU across different countries and cultures.

Discussion and conclusions: The PIU is an important emerging mental health condition among college/university going young adults, with psychological distress being the strongest and most stable correlate of PIU across different countries and cultures in this study. The present study highlighted the importance of screening university and college students for PIU.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Distress; Internet; Students.

MeSH terms

Bangladesh / epidemiology
Behavior, Addictive / epidemiology*
Croatia / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
India / epidemiology
Internet / statistics & numerical data*
Male
Nepal / epidemiology
Prevalence
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Serbia / epidemiology
Students / psychology*
Students / statistics & numerical data
Surveys and Questionnaires
Turkey / epidemiology
United Arab Emirates / epidemiology
Universities
Vietnam / epidemiology
Young Adult