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Implications of COVID-19 pandemic on internet addiction among Croatian university students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

M. Miskulin ,
N. Pavlovic ,
I. Miskulin  and
J. Kovacevic
M. Miskulin*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
N. Pavlovic
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
I. Miskulin
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
J. Kovacevic
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic the internet has become an important medium for learning and communication for university students. Increased time spent online during the pandemic is a significant risk factor for the development of internet addiction (IA) in this population.

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the influence of pandemics on IA among Croatian university students and to evaluate the characteristics of IA during the pandemic in comparison to pre-pandemic time.

Methods

Two cross-sectional studies, one in April 2016 and another in April 2022 were conducted. As part of these studies, a validated, anonymous questionnaire that contained questions regarding demographic data, as well as Young’s Internet Addiction Test, was self-administered to a cross-faculty representative student sample of the University of Osijek in Eastern Croatia.

Results

The study sample included 1602 university students (810 in the year 2016 and 792 in the year 2022), the median age was 21 years (interquartile range 20-22), 34.5% males, and 65.5% females. There was no statistically significant difference in the median age of the two students’ samples (p=0.234). The main reasons for internet usage were learning and faculty assignments (25.0%), social networking and entertainment (71.0%), and online gaming (4.0%), and there was no statistically significant difference between observed students’ samples (p=0.075). The overall prevalence of IA in 2016 was 41.4% and 39.8% in 2022 but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.542). The proportions of students with mild, moderate, and severe IA in 2016 were 32.8%, 8.4%, and 0.1% respectively, while in 2022 they were 27.4%, 11.9%, and 0.5%, and observed differences were statistically significant (p=0.011).

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the pattern of IA among Croatian university students where proportions of students with moderate and severe IA were significantly higher in comparison to pre-pandemic time. To successfully manage this important public health challenge during the pandemic and post-pandemic time specific preventive measures intended for this population should be developed.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S382
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 (https://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), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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