Prevalence of insomnia in a sample of Internet addicts in different age groups in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract

Background Internet addiction, insomnia, and depression have a major health concern. The association of these problems can severely affect education, work productivity with negative outcomes for society. Internet addiction has been reported to be associated with insomnia and depression that may differ by age. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of insomnia and depression and their correlation with Internet addiction in all age groups and to detect age differences. A total of 386 participants were recruited. Data were collected using an online survey that contains questions about sociodemographic, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) to measure insomnia, Internet addiction, and depression, respectively. Results The overall prevalence of clinically significant insomnia was 22.5% while subthreshold insomnia was present in 38.5%. There was a significant negative correlation of age with IAT and PHQ9. Also, a highly significant positive correlation was found between ISI, IAT, and PHQ9 within the total sample and each age group (p = 0.000). Conclusions A great proportion of the general population suffers from insomnia, Internet addiction, and depression, and their prevalence rates differ by age. Also, there is a strong association between them. Identifying these problems is important, and interventions should include the three problems.