Risk factors of Internet addiction among Croatian university students
| Autor: | Katarina Rogina, Ivan Miškulin, Albina Dumić, Ivana Šimić, Kristina Molnar, Maja Miškulin |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Erzen, Ivan, Albreht, Tit, Zeegers Paget, Dineke |
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Croatian
medicine.medical_specialty business.industry Addiction media_common.quotation_subject education Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health language.human_language Internet addiction disorder Computer addiction language medicine The Internet Internet addiction university students Croatia Psychology business Psychiatry media_common |
| Zdroj: | European Journal of Public Health. 28 |
| ISSN: | 1464-360X 1101-1262 |
| Popis: | Background:The recent study showed that Internet addiction (IA) is highly prevalent among Croatian university students and as such represents an important public health challenge. However, risk factors of this phenomenon are not fully investigated nor understood. The aim of present study was to identify and explain possible risk factors of IA in the studied population. Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. A validated, anonymous questionnaire containing questions regarding demographic and socioeconomic data as well as Young’s Internet Addiction Test was self- administered to cross-faculty representative student sample of University of Osijek and University of Pula, Croatia during April and May 2017. Results: The study sample included 1110 students, the average age being 21.3 years (range 18-44) ; 26.3% males and 73.7% females ; 73.0% from the University of Osijek and 27.0% from the University of Pula. The overall prevalence of IA among Croatian students was 39.9%. The study revealed that there were statistically significant Spearman rank correlations between genders and IA prevalence (p = 0.031) and between three main categories (learning and faculty assignments, social networking and entertainment and online gaming) of Internet usage and IA prevalence (p < 0.001). The study also showed that there were no statistically significant Spearman rank correlations between field of studies and IA prevalence (p = 0.985), between the university location and IA prevalence (p = 0.106) as well as between source of financing during the study and IA prevalence (p = 0.999). Conclusions: The gender and three categories of Internet usage are the most significant risk factors for established IA prevalence among Croatian university students in participating universities. Further studies are needed to identify and explain other possible risk factors for this addiction. Key messages: Internet addiction is an important but poorly investigated public health issue among Croatian university students. Better understanding of risk factors of Internet addiction among university student population will enable development of specific public health preventive measures. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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