Association Between Internet Addiction, Depression and Sleep Quality Among Undergraduate Students of Medical and Allied Sciences

  • Luna Paudel Department of Psychiatry, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Pawan Sharma Department of Psychiatry, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Lalitpur, Nepal
  • Anuj Raj Kadel Department of Medical Education, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Kshitiz Lakhey Department of Medical Education, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Swarndeep Singh Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
  • Pratibha Khanal Department of Psychiatry, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Rachana Sharma Department of Psychiatry, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Pratikshya Chalise Department of Psychiatry, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Subash Chandra Sharma Department of Psychiatry, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Sudarshan Narsingh Pradhan Department of Psychiatry, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

Background: The use of the internet is growing rapidly worldwide with easier availability and affordability in developing countries like Nepal. Apart from several benefits, it has also led to deleterious effects on certain individuals’ physical and mental well-being. The present study aimed to assess the burden of internet addiction among nursing, dental and medical undergraduates at a medical school, and examine its relationship with depression and sleep quality.
Methods: A cross-sectional study among 494 students pursuing nursing, dental and medical undergraduate courses at the same medical college in Nepal was conducted. The burden of internet addiction, depression, and sleep disturbance was assessed using Young’s Internet addiction test, Beck’s depression inventory, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaires respectively.
Results: The majority of respondents reported either controlled use of internet or mild problem with internet use. However, 4.7% of respondents reported significant problems due to internet use. Further, about 42.3% reported poor sleep quality, and 8.9% screened positive for depression. In both chi-square and logistic regression analyses, internet addiction was significantly associated with poor sleep quality and depression.
Conclusion: The study shows that about half of the participants experienced at least some problems and a small but significant proportion of them reported severe problems due to internet use. This warrants the need to address the issue of internet addiction among medical and allied sciences students in Nepal. Further, internet addiction is associated with both depression and poor sleep quality, highlighting a need to develop effective interventions targeting all three problems holistically.
Keywords: Depression; internet addiction; sleep quality

Published
2021-12-14
How to Cite
PaudelL., SharmaP., KadelA. R., LakheyK., SinghS., KhanalP., SharmaR., ChaliseP., SharmaS. C., & PradhanS. N. (2021). Association Between Internet Addiction, Depression and Sleep Quality Among Undergraduate Students of Medical and Allied Sciences. Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 19(03), 543-549. https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v19i3.3599