Prevalence and determinants of Internet addiction among the students of professional colleges in the Jammu region

BACKGROUND: With ever-increasing digitization, the internet has intertwined into the daily lives of users to a large extent. It holds tremendous educational benefits to college students; however, its excessive usage can lead to addiction and even psychological morbidities. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with various factors including depression, anxiety, and stress. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate students of two professional colleges, i.e., medical and engineering colleges in the Jammu region. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit the information regarding socio-demographic and personal details of students. Young's internet addiction scale was used to assess internet addiction, whereas the DASS 42 scale was used to measure depression, anxiety, and stress. Data thus collected were analyzed using the PSPP software. RESULTS: A total of 480 students constituted the study population. The prevalence of internet addiction was found to be 78.7%, with a significantly higher prevalence seen among the male students in comparison to females (P < 0.005). A significantly positive correlation of internet addiction was found with depression, anxiety, and stress. CONCLUSIONS: Internet addiction is significantly associated with psychopathology among the respondents. In this context, there is an urgent need to develop effective strategies for the prevention of internet addiction by promoting awareness among the students.