Assessing Problematic Internet Use, Social Media Addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Suicidal Tendencies among Undergraduate Students in a Peripheral Medical College

Background: Problematic Internet use (PIU) and social media addiction (SMA) have emerged as pressing concerns among the youth, with undergraduate medical students being no exception. In addition, Internet gaming addiction is increasingly observed among them. A rise in suicidal tendencies among medic...

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Main Authors: Khandaker Golam Maruf, Sumitaksha Banerjee, Arunima Chaudhuri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-07-01
Series:Current Medical Issues
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/cmi.cmi_13_25
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author Khandaker Golam Maruf
Sumitaksha Banerjee
Arunima Chaudhuri
author_facet Khandaker Golam Maruf
Sumitaksha Banerjee
Arunima Chaudhuri
author_sort Khandaker Golam Maruf
collection DOAJ
description Background: Problematic Internet use (PIU) and social media addiction (SMA) have emerged as pressing concerns among the youth, with undergraduate medical students being no exception. In addition, Internet gaming addiction is increasingly observed among them. A rise in suicidal tendencies among medical students has also been reported. Objectives: This study aims to explore the correlation between PIU, SMA, Internet gaming disorder (IGD), and suicidal tendencies among undergraduate students of a peripheral medical college. Methodology: A total of 145 students were randomly selected from a batch of 200. Ethical clearance was obtained, and informed consent was secured. Exclusion criteria included refusal to participate, undergoing sleep therapy or medication, and severe illnesses. Data collection was conducted through a Google form, utilizing Young’s Internet Addiction Test (Y-IAT) and the IGD Scale – Short-Form (IGDS9-SF). Results: Mobile phones were the most commonly used device (83.4%). Y-IAT scores indicated that the majority (40.0%) of students exhibited moderate internet addiction, with a mean standard deviation (SD) score of 48.2 ± 18.5. The IGDS9-SF scores suggested that 46.2% of students had minimal gaming addiction. Among participants, 18.6% experienced suicidal thoughts, while 3.4% had attempted suicide, though none was fatal. In addition, 63.4% of students reported seeking mental health support when necessary. Conclusion: A significant proportion of undergraduate medical students engage in PIU and SMA, with some also exhibiting suicidal tendencies.
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spelling doaj-art-5cdcad1f4ce3485291bcdd8e1b7e5bc62025-08-20T03:39:57ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsCurrent Medical Issues0973-46512666-40542025-07-0123316917310.4103/cmi.cmi_13_25Assessing Problematic Internet Use, Social Media Addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Suicidal Tendencies among Undergraduate Students in a Peripheral Medical CollegeKhandaker Golam MarufSumitaksha BanerjeeArunima ChaudhuriBackground: Problematic Internet use (PIU) and social media addiction (SMA) have emerged as pressing concerns among the youth, with undergraduate medical students being no exception. In addition, Internet gaming addiction is increasingly observed among them. A rise in suicidal tendencies among medical students has also been reported. Objectives: This study aims to explore the correlation between PIU, SMA, Internet gaming disorder (IGD), and suicidal tendencies among undergraduate students of a peripheral medical college. Methodology: A total of 145 students were randomly selected from a batch of 200. Ethical clearance was obtained, and informed consent was secured. Exclusion criteria included refusal to participate, undergoing sleep therapy or medication, and severe illnesses. Data collection was conducted through a Google form, utilizing Young’s Internet Addiction Test (Y-IAT) and the IGD Scale – Short-Form (IGDS9-SF). Results: Mobile phones were the most commonly used device (83.4%). Y-IAT scores indicated that the majority (40.0%) of students exhibited moderate internet addiction, with a mean standard deviation (SD) score of 48.2 ± 18.5. The IGDS9-SF scores suggested that 46.2% of students had minimal gaming addiction. Among participants, 18.6% experienced suicidal thoughts, while 3.4% had attempted suicide, though none was fatal. In addition, 63.4% of students reported seeking mental health support when necessary. Conclusion: A significant proportion of undergraduate medical students engage in PIU and SMA, with some also exhibiting suicidal tendencies.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/cmi.cmi_13_25internet gaming disorder scale–short-forminternet gaming disordermental healthproblematic internet usesocial media addictionsuicidal tendencyyoung’s internet addiction test
spellingShingle Khandaker Golam Maruf
Sumitaksha Banerjee
Arunima Chaudhuri
Assessing Problematic Internet Use, Social Media Addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Suicidal Tendencies among Undergraduate Students in a Peripheral Medical College
Current Medical Issues
internet gaming disorder scale–short-form
internet gaming disorder
mental health
problematic internet use
social media addiction
suicidal tendency
young’s internet addiction test
title Assessing Problematic Internet Use, Social Media Addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Suicidal Tendencies among Undergraduate Students in a Peripheral Medical College
title_full Assessing Problematic Internet Use, Social Media Addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Suicidal Tendencies among Undergraduate Students in a Peripheral Medical College
title_fullStr Assessing Problematic Internet Use, Social Media Addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Suicidal Tendencies among Undergraduate Students in a Peripheral Medical College
title_full_unstemmed Assessing Problematic Internet Use, Social Media Addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Suicidal Tendencies among Undergraduate Students in a Peripheral Medical College
title_short Assessing Problematic Internet Use, Social Media Addiction, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Suicidal Tendencies among Undergraduate Students in a Peripheral Medical College
title_sort assessing problematic internet use social media addiction internet gaming disorder and suicidal tendencies among undergraduate students in a peripheral medical college
topic internet gaming disorder scale–short-form
internet gaming disorder
mental health
problematic internet use
social media addiction
suicidal tendency
young’s internet addiction test
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/cmi.cmi_13_25
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