Internet Addiction and Academic Performance in Dental Students

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Internet addiction (IA) is a growing concern among university students.
• Understanding IA's impact on academic performance is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between Internet addiction and academic performance in dental students.
• To identify factors associated with Internet addiction in this population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 402 dental students at the University of Cartagena.
• Anonymous questionnaires assessed socio-demographics, academic performance, and IA using Young's Test.
• Logistic regression analysis identified covariates associated with IA.

Main Results:

• 75.3% of dental students exhibited Internet addiction (IA), primarily mild (73.13%) or moderate (2.24%).
• Poor academic performance was noted in 5.2% of students.
• Studying in different locations, mobile phone use while studying, and chatting were linked to IA.

Conclusions:

• Academic performance was not directly associated with Internet addiction in dental students.
• Specific behaviors like studying away from home and mobile phone usage during study correlate with IA.