Internet addiction among pharmacy undergraduate students in Malaysia

Abstract

Internet addiction occurs due to excessive and uncontrolled use of the internet. It may hinder academic achievement and lead to reduction in quality of life of the students. This study aims to assess the prevalence of internet addiction (IA) among pharmacy students. A sample of 223 students from Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia participated in this study. Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS) was used to assess the prevalence of Internet addiction. The prevalence of IA among pharmacy students was 26.9% while 13.5% were at higher risk for addiction. Although the mean score was higher among male students but it was not statistically significant (P>0.05). IA is significantly higher amongstudents who are spending more than 40 hours per week online. Students with poor social interaction had higher mean CIAS score than those who were socially active, however the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05) In conclusion, Internet addiction need to be addressed early to prevent its effects on physical and mental wellbeing. Students need to be educated about controlling and managing time spent online to avoid progression into internetaddiction.