Internet addiction in university medical students

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Internet addiction, psychiatric symptoms and personality type in university students, and to correlate these variables. Methods: We enrolled 522 medical students, 281 men and 241 women, with a mean age of 21.2 years. We used a socio-demographic questionnaire...

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Main Authors: Capetillo Ventura, Nelly Cecilia, Juárez Treviño, Myrthala
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UANL. Facultad de Medicina 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://eprints.uanl.mx/11621/1/S1665579615000289_S300_en.pdf
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author Capetillo Ventura, Nelly Cecilia
Juárez Treviño, Myrthala
author_facet Capetillo Ventura, Nelly Cecilia
Juárez Treviño, Myrthala
author_sort Capetillo Ventura, Nelly Cecilia
collection Repositorio Institucional
description Objective: To determine the prevalence of Internet addiction, psychiatric symptoms and personality type in university students, and to correlate these variables. Methods: We enrolled 522 medical students, 281 men and 241 women, with a mean age of 21.2 years. We used a socio-demographic questionnaire, an Internet questionnaire (Young’s Internet Addiction Test [IAT]), the General Health Questionnaire, and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire III (ZKPQ). Results: The mean raw score of respondents in the IAT test was 19.72 points. IA had a highly significant correlation with impulsivity (rs = 0.244, p < 001), neuroticism-anxiety (rs = 0.304, p < 001) and aggression-hostility (rs = 0.143, p = 0.001). It also negatively correlated with work effort (rs = −0.136, p = 0.002). As for mental health, IA had a highly significant correlation with somatic symptoms (rs = 0.174, p < 001), anxiety and insomnia (rs = 0.219, p < 001), social dysfunction (rs = 0.118, p < 001) and severe depression (rs = 0.199, p < 001). Conclusions: The Internet is a tool for various activities. When used with control it does not cause any problems. However, when control is lost, addiction occurs together with its comorbidities. Certain personality types are predisposed to this loss of control and Internet abuse
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spelling eprints-116212019-08-09T17:41:49Z http://eprints.uanl.mx/11621/ Internet addiction in university medical students Capetillo Ventura, Nelly Cecilia Juárez Treviño, Myrthala BF Psicología RC Medicina Interna, Psiquiatría, Neurología Objective: To determine the prevalence of Internet addiction, psychiatric symptoms and personality type in university students, and to correlate these variables. Methods: We enrolled 522 medical students, 281 men and 241 women, with a mean age of 21.2 years. We used a socio-demographic questionnaire, an Internet questionnaire (Young’s Internet Addiction Test [IAT]), the General Health Questionnaire, and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire III (ZKPQ). Results: The mean raw score of respondents in the IAT test was 19.72 points. IA had a highly significant correlation with impulsivity (rs = 0.244, p < 001), neuroticism-anxiety (rs = 0.304, p < 001) and aggression-hostility (rs = 0.143, p = 0.001). It also negatively correlated with work effort (rs = −0.136, p = 0.002). As for mental health, IA had a highly significant correlation with somatic symptoms (rs = 0.174, p < 001), anxiety and insomnia (rs = 0.219, p < 001), social dysfunction (rs = 0.118, p < 001) and severe depression (rs = 0.199, p < 001). Conclusions: The Internet is a tool for various activities. When used with control it does not cause any problems. However, when control is lost, addiction occurs together with its comorbidities. Certain personality types are predisposed to this loss of control and Internet abuse UANL. Facultad de Medicina 2015 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_nc_nd http://eprints.uanl.mx/11621/1/S1665579615000289_S300_en.pdf http://eprints.uanl.mx/11621/1.haspreviewThumbnailVersion/S1665579615000289_S300_en.pdf Capetillo Ventura, Nelly Cecilia y Juárez Treviño, Myrthala (2015) Internet addiction in university medical students. Medicina universitaria, 17 (67). pp. 88-93. ISSN 1665-5796 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rmu.2015.02.003 10.1016/j.rmu.2015.02.003
spellingShingle BF Psicología
RC Medicina Interna, Psiquiatría, Neurología
Capetillo Ventura, Nelly Cecilia
Juárez Treviño, Myrthala
Internet addiction in university medical students
thumbnail https://rediab.uanl.mx/themes/sandal5/images/online.png
title Internet addiction in university medical students
title_full Internet addiction in university medical students
title_fullStr Internet addiction in university medical students
title_full_unstemmed Internet addiction in university medical students
title_short Internet addiction in university medical students
title_sort internet addiction in university medical students
topic BF Psicología
RC Medicina Interna, Psiquiatría, Neurología
url http://eprints.uanl.mx/11621/1/S1665579615000289_S300_en.pdf
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