Social Media Use and Its Association with Mental Health and Internet Addiction among Portuguese Higher Education Students during COVID-19 Confinement

Relationship between depression, anxiety, stress and smartphone addiction in COVID-19 nursing students

OBJECTIVE

to verify the relationship between symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and smartphone addiction in COVID-19 nursing students.

METHOD

this was a descriptive-analytical study of 206 nursing students. A sociodemographic characterization and smartphone use instrument adapted from the literature and the following scales Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale and Smartphone Addiction Inventory were used for data collection. Sociodemographic data and smartphone use were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the relationship between symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and smartphone addiction was analyzed using multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

the prevalence of smartphone addiction among nursing students was 129 (62.6%) and there was a relationship between symptoms of moderate depression (p=0.049), severe/very severe depression (p=0.005) and mild anxiety (p=0.028) and severe/very severe anxiety (p=0.019) and smartphone addiction.

CONCLUSION

the data show that the construction and implementation of smartphone use policies in the academic and hospital context to prevent smartphone addiction and control associated risk factors is necessary.

BACKGROUND

(1) High prevalence of smartphone addiction among nursing students. (2) There was a relationship between symptoms of depression, anxiety and smartphone addiction. (3) Nursing has a leading role in identifying and managing addictions. (4) A multidisciplinary approach to the prevention and management of smartphone addiction. (5) Smartphone addiction in nursing students is a new issue in Brazil.

Internet Addiction and Physical Activity among Polish and Portuguese Students in the Final Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

AIM

The purpose of this study was to analyze the level of Internet addiction and physical activity, as well as the relationship between internet addiction and physical activity, among Polish and Portuguese students in the final year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A web-based online survey was conducted among students in Poland and Portugal (398 respondents) aged between 17 and 26 in October 2022. The level of internet addiction was assessed by the Kimberly Young questionnaire in Polish and in Portuguese. The level of physical activity was measured by the international physical activity questionnaire in Polish and in Portuguese.

RESULTS

In the study population, the majority of the respondents were mildly addicted to the internet. The average level of addiction was reported by 9.3-23.5% of the respondents. The average level of internet addiction was higher among Portuguese students and among men. Those who had suffered from COVID-19 (especially more than once) and were more physically active showed a higher tendency towards internet addiction.

CONCLUSIONS

Internet addiction is a problem that has to be monitored and given more attention, particularly among male students. The results presented provide the first statistical insight into the problem of internet addiction among students in both countries and form the basis for further studies. They also highlight the severity of the problem and point to the need for early preventive and protective interventions against problematic internet use. It appears that effective strategies should include promoting the benefits of physical activity.