Descriptive study to assess the prevalence and effects of internet addiction among undergraduates

Internet addiction is a common problem among undergraduate students and represents effects on health and well being. The use of internet in college campus and in society has increased dramatically in recent years. Whereas the academic use of internet is primarily intended for learning and research, the internet has also become an important part of student life.

A descriptive study was done to assess the prevalence and effects of internet addiction among undergraduate students of selected nursing college of district Ludhiana.

The quantitative research approach was adopted. Tool consisted three parts i.e. first containing demographic variables, standardized checklist to assess the prevalence and self structured checklist to assess the effects of internet addiction among undergraduate students. A tryout of the tool was done for clarity and relevance of conducting the study. The pilot study was conducted at Sigma College of Nursing Ludhiana on 15 students to ensure the reliability & feasibility of the tool. The final study was conducted on 224 students at Kular College of Nursing, Kishangarh, Ludhiana. Data collection procedure was carried out in month April by purposive sampling technique.

The prevalence of internet addiction was 54%. 47.1% of the students had moderate effects of internet addiction, 41.3% had mild effects and only 11.5% students had severe effects of internet addiction. Statistically significant association was observed with class (χ² =20.4, p = 0.02), religion (χ²=7.5, p = 0.02), area of residence (χ² = 7.45, p = 0.02).

In the information age, Internet use is becoming increasingly significant in the acquisition of information and the sharing of knowledge. Internet use is now considered to form part of the culture of adolescents, and hence studying Internet use and its negative aspects is tremendously important to the creation of a sound youth culture.