Problematic use of the internet, smartphones, and social media among medical students and relationship with depression: An exploratory study

Abstract

Background Students in sub-Saharan African countries experienced online classes for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some individuals, greater online engagement can lead to online dependency, which can be associated with depression. The present study explored the association between problematic use of the internet, social media, and smartphones with depression symptoms among Ugandan medical students. Methods A pilot study was conducted among 269 medical students at a Ugandan public university. Using a survey, data were collected regarding socio-demographic factors, lifestyle, online use behaviors, smartphone addiction, social media addiction, and internet addiction. Hierarchical linear regression models were performed to explore the associations of different forms of online addiction with depression symptom severity. Results The findings indicated that 16.73% of the medical students had moderate to severe depression symptoms. The prevalence of being at risk of (i) smartphone addiction was 45.72%, (ii) social media addiction was 74.34%, and (iii) internet addiction use was 8.55%. Online use behaviors (e.g., average hours spent online, types of social media platforms used, the purpose for internet use) and online-related addictions (to smartphones, social media, and the internet) predicted approximately 8% and 10% of the severity of depression symptoms, respectively. However, over the past two weeks, life stressors had the highest predictability for depression (35.9%). The final model predicted a total of 51.9% variance for depression symptoms. In the final model, romantic relationship problems (ß = 2.30, S.E = 0.58; p<0.01) and academic performance problems (ß = 1.76, S.E = 0.60; p<0.01) over the past two weeks; and increased internet addiction severity (ß = 0.05, S.E = 0.02; p<0.01) was associated with significantly increased depression symptom severity, whereas Twitter use was associated with reduced depression symptom severity (ß = 1.88, S.E = 0.57; p<0.05). Conclusion Despite life stressors being the largest predictor of depression symptom score severity, problematic online use also contributed significantly. Therefore, it is recommended that medical students’ mental health care services consider digital wellbeing and its relationship with problematic online use as part of a more holistic depression prevention and resilience program.

Internet Addiction and Academic Anxiety Among Chinese College Students During COVID-19: The Mediating Role of Psychological Contract

“…Factors such as fear of failure, self-imposed high standards, excessive workload, time management challenges, and the competitive academic environment all contribute to the development and exacerbation of academic anxiety. 4,7,46 Furthermore, the recent shift to online learning and the disruptive effects of the pandemic have introduced additional stressors, 47 such as isolation, lack of face-to-face interaction, 9,10 and the resulting deep internet addiction, 48,49 which further amplify academic anxiety among college students. 46,50 This study aims to illuminate the complex relationship between internet addiction and academic anxiety in college students.…”

Research on the impact of the socio-educational environment on the academic performance of college students: the mediating role of study motivation

“…For instance, Smith et al (2023) conducted a study with 302 adolescent participants and found that teenagers with attention deficit or hyperactivity disorders generally exhibit lower levels of learning motivation, which in turn affects their academic performance. The internal factors such as sleep (Boraita et al, 2023;Chan et al, 2023;Hamvai et al, 2023), depression (Song et al, 2023;Urbanska-Grosz et al, 2023), and disordered social media use (Almarzouki et al, 2022;Sserunkuuma et al, 2023) also exert varying degrees of influence on academic performance. In this study, we primarily investigate the internal factors pertaining to learning state, encompassing self-efficacy and learning behavior.…”

The rejection sensitivity and problematic internet use among medical students: A moderated mediation model involving loneliness and self-control

“…Previous studies focused on the prevalence and negative effect of PIU among medical students [11,12,13,14], while few studies have investigated the driving factors and inner mechanism of PIU among medical students. Given the scarcity of empirical studies in this domain and the escalating prevalence of internet usage in China, particularly among medical students, it is imperative to enhance comprehension of the underlying factors and associated mechanisms of PIU.…”