Internet addiction and sleep quality among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multinational cross-sectional survey.

Journal: PloS one

Volume: 16

Issue: 11

Year of Publication: 2021

Affiliated Institutions:  Ameer-ud-Din Medical College, Affiliated with University of Health and Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan. Kabir Medical College, Gandhara University, Peshawar, Pakistan. Quaid-E-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Department of Social and Community Health, School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Wah Medical College, Affiliated with University of Health Sciences, Wah, Pakistan. Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan. Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. Department of Mental Health, NHS, Psychiatric Service for Diagnosis and Treatment, Hospital "G. Mazzini", Teramo, Italy. Guntur Medical College, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Karpaga Vinayaga Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Maduranthagam, Tamilnadu, India. Texila American University, Georgetown, Guyana. University of Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Changsha Medical University, Changsha, Hunan, China. Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominica. Red Crescent Clinic Tampa Bay, Tampa, Florida, United States of America. National Ribat University Medical School, Khartoum, Sudan. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital, Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan. Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College, Sukkur, Pakistan. Department of Psychiatry, Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Hospital, Srinagar, India. Institute of Allied Health Sciences, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden.

Abstract summary 

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of many people, including medical students. The present study explored internet addiction and changes in sleep patterns among medical students during the pandemic and assessed the relationship between them.A cross-sectional study was carried out in seven countries, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Guyana, India, Mexico, Pakistan, and Sudan, using a convenience sampling technique, an online survey comprising demographic details, information regarding COVID-19, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT).In total, 2749 participants completed the questionnaire. Of the total, 67.6% scored above 30 in the IAT, suggesting the presence of an Internet addiction, and 73.5% scored equal and above 5 in the PSQI, suggesting poor sleep quality. Internet addiction was found to be significant predictors of poor sleep quality, causing 13.2% of the variance in poor sleep quality. Participants who reported COVID-19 related symptoms had disturbed sleep and higher internet addiction levels when compared with those who did not. Participants who reported a diagnosis of COVID-19 reported poor sleep quality. Those living with a COVID-19 diagnosed patient reported higher internet addiction and worse sleep quality compared with those who did not have any COVID-19 patients in their surroundings.The results of this study suggest that internet addiction and poor sleep quality are two issues that require addressing amongst medical students. Medical training institutions should do their best to minimize their negative impact, particularly during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors & Co-authors:  Tahir Muhammad Junaid MJ Malik Najma Iqbal NI Ullah Irfan I Khan Hamza Rafique HR Perveen Shahida S Ramalho Rodrigo R Siddiqi Ahsun Rizwan AR Waheed Summaiya S Shalaby Mahmoud Mohamed Mohamed MMM De Berardis Domenico D Jain Samiksha S Vetrivendan Gautham Lakshmipriya GL Chatterjee Harshita H Gopar Franco William Xochitun WX Shafiq Muhammad Ahsan MA Fatima Naira Taiba NT Abeysekera Maria M Sayyeda Qudsia Q Shamat Shamat Fathi SF Aiman Wajeeha W Akhtar Qirat Q Devi Arooj A Aftab Anam A Shoib Sheikh S Lin Chung-Ying CY Pakpour Amir H AH

Study Outcome 

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Citations :  Chaudhari B, Menon P, Saldanha D, Tewari A, Bhattacharya L. Internet addiction and its determinants among medical students. Industrial psychiatry journal. 2015;24(2):158. doi: 10.4103/0972-6748.181729
Authors :  26
Identifiers
Doi : e0259594
SSN : 1932-6203
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Adolescent
Other Terms
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Country of Study
Sudan
Publication Country
United States