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Prevalence of internet addiction in tunisian adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

M. Daoud ,
S. Omri ,
R. Feki ,
N. Smaoui ,
L. Zouari ,
J. Ben Thabet ,
M. Maalej Bouali ,
N. Charfi  and
M. Maalej
M. Daoud
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry “c”, Universty Hospital of Hedi Chaker, sfax, Tunisia
S. Omri*
Affiliation:
Psychiatry C Department, Hedi chaker University hospital, sfax, Tunisia
R. Feki
Affiliation:
Psychiatry C Department, Hedi chaker University hospital, sfax, Tunisia
N. Smaoui
Affiliation:
Psychiatry C Department, Hedi chaker University hospital, sfax, Tunisia
L. Zouari
Affiliation:
Psychiatry C Department, Hedi chaker University hospital, sfax, Tunisia
J. Ben Thabet
Affiliation:
Psychiatry C Department, Hedi chaker University hospital, sfax, Tunisia
M. Maalej Bouali
Affiliation:
Psychiatry C Department, Hedi chaker University hospital, sfax, Tunisia
N. Charfi
Affiliation:
Psychiatry C Department, Hedi chaker University hospital, sfax, Tunisia
M. Maalej
Affiliation:
Psychiatry C Department, Hedi chaker University hospital, sfax, Tunisia
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Internet addiction (IA) is a significant public health issue among adolescents. There is considerable evidence that IA is associated with various psychosocial harms.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of internet addiction among secondary school.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 152 students enrolled in secondary school. The participants had filled the Internet Addiction Test of Young and a data file regarding the socio-demographic information, physical and information about the internet access and use.

Results

The sample consisted of 90 males and 62 females with a mean age of 13.14 ± 1.2 years. The majority of participants had their own smartphone (83.6%). The average duration of connection among participants was 5.3 hours per day. The prevalence of IA was 14,5%. Results showed that 46,8% feel their internet use significantly hinders their family relationships. Twenty participants (13,2%) reported that they connected to the internet while they were in classroom. The prevalence of IA was higher among boys than girls (p= 0.018). There was, also, a significant relation between IA and having academic difficulties (p=0.037).

Conclusions

The prevalence of IA is elevated in Tunisia. Many negative consequences are identified. Urgent measures should be taken to counter the problem.

Keywords

AddictionInternetadolescents
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S572 - S573
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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