Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Associated Factors Among Students in an Ethiopian University: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACT

Internet addiction has become a behavioral problem globally, especially among youth. Whether this phenomenon is a concern has not been assessed in Ethiopia. This study investigated the prevalence of Internet addiction and risk factors for Internet addiction among undergraduate students at a university in Ethiopia. Data were collected from 812 undergraduate students recruited from 5 campuses using stratified random sampling techniques. Participants completed a pretested structured questionnaire. The results indicated that the prevalence of Internet addiction was 35.2%, with severe addiction for 1.8% and mild addiction for 33.4% of participants. Internet addiction rates were higher among female students compared to their male counterparts (38.3% vs. 33.4%). Senior students reported more addiction to Internet use, χ² = 42.72, p< .001. Academic grade-point average (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = .19, 95% CI [.13, .29]), parental supervision (AOR = .96, 95% CI [.92, .99]), self-esteem (AOR = .95, 95% CI [.91, .99]), and peer pressure (AOR = 1.16, 95% CI [1.10, 1.22]) were risk factors for Internet addiction. Our findings revealed that more than one third of the respondents had an addiction to the Internet. Increased grade-point average, higher self-esteem, and higher perceived parental supervision were protective against Internet addiction, whereas seniority among students and peer pressure were drivers toward Internet addiction. These findings highlight the importance of considering the identified factors in designing interventions to prevent and control Internet addiction among students.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethiopia
• Internet addiction
• risk factors
• social networking
• university students