Internet Addiction among Indonesia University Students: Musculoskeletal Symptoms, Physical and Psychosocial Behavior Problems

Abstract

The explosive growth of the internet has led to pathological use, also known as internet addiction. A lot of countries have reported increased number of internet addiction among teenagers and the negative effects of it. Purpose of this study is to observed prevalence of internet addiction and the musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS), physical, and psychosocial behavior problems among sample of Indonesian university students. Seven hundred and fifteen Indonesian university students (mean age = 20.9 year, SD = 2.52 year, 290 female) participated voluntarily in this study by filing out a set of questionnaires consist of internet addiction test (IAT) questionnaire, Nordic body map to observe MSS, and a questionnaire about physical and psychosocial problems. The prevalence of internet addiction among Indonesian university students were 3.2 %, whereas 61% of the samples were categorized as having problem with internet. As predicted, higher internet addiction was accompanying with higher MSS. Most participants (> 50%) were reporting MSS in upper neck, lower neck, right shoulder, back, and waist. higher internet addiction also shows higher physical and psychosocial behavior problems. This study confirms number of general prevalence of internet addiction in teenagers. Result of this study also strengthen the fact of negative effects of intense use of internet not only for physical and musculoskeletal, but also for psychosocial wellbeing.

The Impact of Physical Distancing and Associated Factors Towards Internet Addiction Among Adults in Indonesia During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Web-Based Study

“…This is, as far as the authors are aware, the first nationwide study on IA in Indonesia. A previous study on Indonesian university students (20.9 ± 2.52 years old) proposed a rate of 3.2% for IA ( 33 ) and another study measuring Internet Gaming Disorder found 3.0% prevalence ( 34 ). To note, there was a difference of instruments utilized and subject demographics to the current study.…”

Internet Addiction in Freshmen Engineering Students in India

“…Several research studies have shown the association of internet addiction with symptoms like depression and compulsive disorders (Ha et al 2007), cyberbullying, hostility and social anxiety (Ko et al 2014), lack of self-esteem (Yen et al 2014), problematic alcohol abuse (Ko et al 2008) and suicidal intentions (Kim et al 2006). Many research studies study on internet addiction among university students showed a strong association between internet addiction and adverse psycho-social conditions in Greece (Polyxeni, 2014), Indonesia (Pratama and Widyanti, 2019) and Turkey (Boylu & Gunay, 2019). The problems of adolescents especially engineering students become even more pronounced as these students are burdened by the rigour of their academics and confronted by their vulnerability of age.…”

Problematic Use of Internet Among Indonesia University Students: Psychometric Evaluation of Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale and Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form

“…In one study, 61% of 715 respondents were identified as having problem with their internet use. 7 Moreover, Indonesia has a large geographical spread with heterogenous populations. Consequently, the diverse populations in the Indonesia may differ in the prevalence of IA compared to other countries.…”

“…Furthermore, adolescents and young adults who engage in long periods of screen time may engage in less physical exercise and sports which may result in physical problems to joints, muscles, and bones. 7 Adolescence and young adulthood are characterized by a period of maturation and intense psychological changes, and are vulnerable to problematic internet use which may negatively impact on their quality of life. 10 Therefore, research examining IA is important for healthcare providers to better understand and deal with this issue.…”

“…IA has also been reported among Indonesian university students. In one study, 61% of 715 respondents were identified as having problem with their internet use [ 7 ]. Moreover, Indonesia has a large geographical spread with heterogenous populations.…”