Internet addiction and its impact on mental health among dental students, Belagavi

Abstract

Background: Internet dependence ordinarily alludes to a person's powerlessness to control their utilization of the Internet (counting any online-related, impulsive, or compulsive conduct), which finally leads to one's stamped trouble and practical debilitation in everyday life. The signs and indications of Internet Addiction Disorder can be seen in both physical and psychological (emotional) appearances. Few psychological symptoms include: Sadness, nervousness, disconnection, sensation of blame, mindset swings, depression, dread, and so forth. Objective: To assess the prevalence of Internet addiction and its impact on mental health among dental students of Belagavi city. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, involving 168 dental students of age 17-25 years of Belagavi city. Students were selected using convenient sampling method and data were collected using pretested structured questionnaire. The ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional ethics committee JNMC Belagavi. Written consent was obtained from participants before collecting data which was analyzed in SPSS version 22. Results: The percentage of the normal use of Internet and potential addiction of Internet was 83.3% and 16.7%, respectively. Internet addiction was not associated with depression. But was significantly associated with anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Conclusion: The prevalence of potential Internet addiction among dental students is 16.7%. Hence, it becomes necessary to not only address the Internet addiction among dental students but also the mental issues related to it.

Keywords

• belagavi
• dental students
• internet addiction
• mental health