Effect of technology addiction on academic success and fatigue among Turkish university students

ABSTRACT

Background: Technology addiction can cause certain physical, mental, and social health problems.

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the effect of technology addiction levels on academic success and fatigue in university students in Turkey.

Methods: 743 students continuing their undergraduate education at a single university participated in this descriptive correlational study. Data was collected using a Student Identification Form, The Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale, the Internet Addiction Scale, and the Piper Fatigue Scale.

Results: 9.8% of the students exhibited internet addiction risk, while internet addiction was detected in 0.7%. Compared to students showing no addiction symptoms, students who scored in the internet addicts’ category were found to have lower academic success averages and higher fatigue levels. It was found that smart phone addiction of students alone explained 5.8% of the total variance in fatigue levels while the internet addiction of students alone explained 6.8% of the total variance in fatigue levels.

Conclusion: Although internet addiction was relatively low in this study, academic success was negatively affected in students categorized as internet addicted and fatigue increased alongside technology addiction, suggesting that internet addiction may be a predictor of fatigue. Educational initiatives could help to raise awareness on the negative relationship between technology addiction and academic success and its effects on physical and psychological health.

KEYWORDS:

• University students
• smart phone
• internet
• addiction
• fatigue
• Turkey

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

* This article was presented poster at the 19th National Internal Medicine Congress of organized between October 11–15, 2017 in Antalya, Turkey.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Havva Sert

Havva Sert has completed her Ph.D. from Marmara University Faculty of Health Sciences. She is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences in Sakarya University. She has published many papers in reputed journals. Herpublications in nursing cover various aspects of nursing including obesity, diabetes mellitus, diabetic foot ulcer, hypertension, tuberculosis, attitude, and healty lifestyle.

Feride Taskin Yilmaz

Feride Taskin Yilmaz has completed her Ph.D. from Marmara University Faculty of Health Sciences. She is an assistant professor in Highschool of Suşehri Health in Sivas Cumhuriyet University. She has published many papers in reputed journals. Her publications in nursing cover various aspects of nursing including diabetes mellitus, asthma, and aging. She has also studied in the fields of student education and nursing education.

Azime Karakoc Kumsar

Azime Karakoç Kumsar has completed her Ph.D. from Marmara University Faculty of Health Sciences. She is an assistant professor at Biruni University in the Nursing Department. Her priority academic study areas are metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, thyroid diseases and healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Dilek Aygin

Dilek Aygin has completed her Ph.D. from Marmara University Faculty of Health Sciences. She is an associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences in Sakarya University. She has published many papers in reputed journals. Herpublications in nursing cover various aspects of nursing including perioperative surgery, intensive care, sexuality, breast cancer, oncology, operation room nursing, and ventilator-associated pneumonia.