Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Online Gamers
Published on: November 9, 2019
The association between internet addiction and psychiatric co-morbidity: a meta-analysis
Roger C Ho, Melvyn W B Zhang, Tammy Y Tsang
1Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. kkmak@graduate.hku.hk.
Background:
This study evaluates the association between Internal Addiction (IA) and psychiatric co-morbidity in the literature.
Methods:
Meta-analyses were conducted on cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies which examined the relationship between IA and psychiatric co-morbidity. Selected studies were extracted from major online databases. The inclusion criteria are as follows: 1) studies conducted on human subjects; 2) IA and psychiatric co-morbidity were assessed by standardised questionnaires; and 3) availability of adequate information to calculate the effect size. Random-effects models were used to calculate the aggregate prevalence and the pooled odds ratios (OR).
Results:
Eight studies comprising 1641 patients suffering from IA and 11210 controls were included. Our analyses demonstrated a significant and positive association between IA and alcohol abuse (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 2.14-4.37, z = 6.12, P < 0.001), attention deficit and hyperactivity (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 2.15-3.77, z = 7.27, P < 0.001), depression (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 2.04-3.75, z = 6.55, P < 0.001) and anxiety (OR = 2.70, 95% CI = 1.46-4.97, z = 3.18, P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
IA is significantly associated with alcohol abuse, attention deficit and hyperactivity, depression and anxiety.
