Problematic Internet Use among Polish Students: Prevalence, Relationship to Sociodemographic Data and Internet Usage Patterns

Abstract

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is a broad term that covers problems with Internet use that result in psychological, social, academic or professional difficulties. The aim of our study was to identify individuals particularly vulnerable to developing PIU among Polish students, taking into account sociodemographic characteristics and Internet use patterns. A total of 1008 students of Polish universities took part in the survey. The research tool was The Problematic Internet Use Test—the Polish version of the Internet Addiction Test. Among the respondents, 10.2% showed signs of PIU—high or very high risk of addiction. Significantly higher levels of PIU were found in males than females, science students than medical and humanities students, and Internet users using a computer, as opposed to students using only a phone/tablet. A decrease in PIU was observed as students improved their assessment of their material situation. The severity of PIU increased significantly as the importance of Internet use for entertainment increased. Our research indicates that it is worth implementing measures to prevent the development of PIU in Poland, e.g., screening educational campaigns, especially for science students. It is also necessary to offer students at lower levels of education, especially the less affluent, forms of leisure time other than computer activity with the use of the Internet.

Considerations on Internet Addiction and Depression Among Syrian College Students

“…This is a bit surprising, considering that most other studies have reported a much lower prevalence of PIU. For instance, the reported prevalence of PIU in young people only ranged from 10.2% to 45.1% in several studies in recent years (including those conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic) [2][3][4][5][6]. We notice that [1] used a cutoff of the IAT score > =50 to define PIU, which is in line with many earlier studies using the same tool [7,8].…”

Problematic usage of the internet among Hungarian elementary school children: a cross-sectional study

“…The role of these social factors are rarely studied among problematic users, only a few studies have dealt with the topic before [ 34 ]. The lack of a person of trust to talk to as well as being online instead of meeting with close friends may increase the possibility of PUI [ 34 , 39 , 42 ]. Being physically active (doing sports etc.)…”

Possible Demographic, Physical, and Psychological Characteristics Associated with Internet Addiction in Turkish People

“…Age, education, employment status, and rural/urban residence may not have been strong predictors of Internet addiction in this particular sample, based on the lack of significant associations between other sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics and strong Internet addiction in our study. It is crucial to keep in mind that we used a specific sample with certain features and, as a result, the conclusions may not apply to other groups (35,36). To fully comprehend the complicated relationship between Internet addiction and different sociodemographic and lifestyle aspects, more research is required.…”