Internet Addiction Among Medical and Non-Medical Students During COVID-19 Pandemic, Tanta University, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Internet addiction is one of the most growing addictive behaviors worldwide, especially among university students affecting their physical and mental health negatively. It increased significantly during period of unusual events of COVOD-19 pandemic. Aim: To assess the level of internet addiction among medical and non-medical students in Tanta University, Egypt.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted during October and November 2020. It included 373 students from faculty of medicine and 373 non-medical students from faculty of science. The validated (IAT-20) was used to assess the level of internet addiction among these students.Results: 51.7% of medical students were found severe internet addicts and 43.4% of them were possible addicts compared to only 11.3% of non- medical students were severely addicted to internet and 68.9% of them were possible addicts with statistically significant difference between them. Female students of both colleges were found addicted to internet than males.Conclusions: Medical students and female medical and non-medical students suffered from severe internet addiction more than non-medical and male ones.Recommendations: Appropriate awareness creation intervention strategies should be implemented to decrease the level of internet addiction among university students and to reduce its harmful and negative consequences.

Impactos na saúde mental de estudantes de medicina na pandemia por Coronavírus: revisão integrativa

“…Para muitos acadêmicos, o momento offline passou a ter sintomas de depressão e tristeza, refletindo as consequências das limitações relacionais. Os impactos da COVID-19, portanto, foram inúmeros, pois a pandemia exigiu um novo rearranjo das interações sociais sob a grande necessidade do isolamento social (37) . (38) .…”