Prevalence of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students: A meta-analysis of multinational observational studies

Abstract

Background: High prevalence of smartphone addiction among medical students may contribute to adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of smartphone addiction, and explore the influencing factors and related mental health symptoms of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed (MEDLINE), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and EMBASE were searched for relevant literature from the inception to September 10, 2021. Using Stata software 11.0, the meta-analysis of prevalence and the influencing factors of smartphone addiction were determined with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Nineteen articles, published between 2014 and 2019, were included, producing medical student studies from seven different Asian countries. The included studies were conducted in India ( n = 11) and Malaysia ( n = 3), with China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Nepal, and Iran each contributing one study. Among a total of 5,497 medical students, the participants included 3,214 females, of whom 2,181 were medical students with smartphone addiction. The prevalence of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students was 41.93% (95% CI [36.24%, 47.72%]). The influencing factors of smartphone addiction among medical students included gender, duration of smartphone use, smartphone function, and marital status. Ten studies (52.63%) explored related mental health symptoms of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students. Smartphone addiction was positively correlated with poor sleep quality ( r = .17–.31), stress ( r = .30–.40), anxiety, depression, neuroticism, and general health among Asian medical students. Conclusion: Smartphone addiction is highly prevalent among Asian medical students. Smartphone addiction may adversely affect mental health, resulting in sleep disturbance, stress, anxiety, depression, and neuroticism. It is necessary to take appropriate precautionary actions and interventions to prevent smartphone overuse among medical students.

A bidirectional association between smartphone addiction and depression among college students: A cross-lagged panel model

“…It has been observed that SA has worryingly increased worldwide in recent years. Zhong et al ( 2 ) conducted a systematic review and found that the prevalence of SA among Asian medical students was 41.93%. Meng et al ( 3 ) found that the global pooled prevalence of SA was 34.5% among college and high school student populations over the last 2 years.…”

Mobile phone addiction and depression among Chinese medical students: the mediating role of sleep quality and the moderating role of peer relationships

“…Compared with other adults, mobile phone addiction has a very high incidence among young college students [ 8 ]. The prevalence of mobile phone addiction among Asian medical students was as high as 41.93% [ 9 ]. Studies have shown that medical students mainly suffer from academic pressure because of too many courses [ 10 ].…”

Association of depression symptoms and sleep quality with state-trait anxiety in medical university students in Anhui Province, China: a mediation analysis

“…Medical students' sleep quality is poor due to late-night studying [11,12], a bad dormitory environment [13], excessive use of electronic devices before bedtime [14,15], and internship shifts [16]. The study showed that the prevalence of sleep disturbance among medical students is higher than that among nonmedical students and the general population [17].…”