ARE NIGERIAN UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS ADDICTED TO THE INTERNET? PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS

Globally, internet addiction (IA) is now known as a disorder that arises from an overuse of available technology with a wide range of behaviours and impulse-control leading to poor psychological, mental and general well-being. This study aims to assess the prevalence and determinants of internet addiction among undergraduate medical students in Enugu State. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 400 undergraduate medical students in two medical colleges in Enugu State, Nigeria. A pre-tested, semi-structured, questionnaire that adapted questions from Young's internet addiction test (YAT) was self-administered to the sampled students. Chi-squared tests of significance and binary logistic regression were used in the analysis. Results were reported as odds ratios at 95% confidence intervals. Findings reveal that the mean age of respondents was 21.9± 3.6 years and they were predominantly females (62.2%). Out of 400 respondents, 3 (0.8%) were found to have severe IA while 71 (17.7%) were found to be moderately addicted and 216(64%) had mild addiction. The remaining 110 (27.5%) students were found to have no addiction. Bivariate analysis revealed that mothers’ highest educational qualification and students’ educational sponsors were associated with IA. On multivariate analysis, sponsorship by siblings (AOR= 2.869, CI= 1.322-6.226) and relatives (AOR= 6.336, CI= 1.473-27.250) were predictors of IA. In conclusion, with increasing reliance on the use of internet especially among the young people, the risk of IA is inevitable. More comprehensive evaluations should be employed routinely among the students to prevent dependency on the internet given the current technological trends, proliferations of smart gadgets and globalization.