Internet Addiction in South Indian Adolescents: Prevalence and YDQ-IAT Diagnostic Agreement

Rock Britto Dharmaraj; Neethu George; Pavithra Mahendran; Saran Sarathbabu; Sarmila Selvarasu; Sanjay Kishora Rajagopal Vasanthamani; Salmathul Jaseela Abdul Kareem; Santhosh Kumar Gunasekaran; Sathiyapriya Murugan; Karthikeyan Kulothungan

doi:10.55489/njcm.161220255681

Authors

Rock Britto Dharmaraj Department of Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, Perambalur, Tamilnadu, India
Neethu George Department of Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, Perambalur, Tamilnadu, India
Pavithra Mahendran Department of Community Medicine, Arunai Medical College and Hospital, Tiruvannamalai, Tamilnadu, India
Saran Sarathbabu Department of Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, Perambalur, Tamilnadu, India
Sarmila Selvarasu Department of Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, Perambalur, Tamilnadu, India
Sanjay Kishora Rajagopal Vasanthamani Department of Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, Perambalur, Tamilnadu, India
Salmathul Jaseela Abdul Kareem Department of Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, Perambalur, Tamilnadu, India
Santhosh Kumar Gunasekaran Department of Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, Perambalur, Tamilnadu, India
Sathiyapriya Murugan Department of Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, Perambalur, Tamilnadu, India
Karthikeyan Kulothungan Department of Community Medicine, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College Hospital, Perambalur, Tamilnadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55489/njcm.161220255681

Keywords:

Internet addiction, Kappa statistics, adolescent, Young's diagnostic criteria, Young's Internet Addiction Test

Abstract

Background: The Internet has revolutionized global communication while introducing concerning patterns of maladaptive use among adolescents. Internet addiction has emerged as a significant public health concern requiring robust assessment methodologies. This study employs a dual-scale approach to evaluate internet addiction among adolescents, aiming to determine prevalence rates, identify associated risk factors, and assess the concordance between two established assessment instruments.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents in the field practicing area of a tertiary care hospital over three months. Two structured assessment tools were employed: Young's diagnostic criteria and Young's Internet Addiction Test, administered through self-completed questionnaires. Demographic data and internet usage patterns were collected alongside addiction assessments. Kappa statistical analysis evaluated concordance between measurement instruments.

Results: The study comprised of 1138 participants where 363(31.9%) had internet addiction according to Young`s diagnostic criteria, while Young's Internet Addiction Test classified 696(61.1%) participants with varying addiction levels (385 (33.8%) mild, 239(21%) moderate, 72(6.3%) severe). Male gender, college attendance, and increased daily internet usage were significantly associated with higher addiction rates (p<0.001). Kappa statistics revealed poor agreement (κ=0.185) between the two assessment tools.

Conclusion: Male gender, higher age, college attendance, and increased daily internet usage (particularly exceeding five hours) were significantly associated with internet addiction and also slight agreement between assessment tools were found.

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