Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of internet addiction and examine its association with psychological factors specifically depression, anxiety and loneliness among Malaysian public university students. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: All public universities in Malaysia, 20 universities. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 7278 students from 20 public universities in Malaysia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Statistical analyses were performed usingSTATA V.17 software. Descriptive statistics summarised participants' demographic characteristics, prevalence of internet addiction and psychological distress (depression, anxiety and loneliness). Pearson's correlation was used to assess bivariate relationships between internet addiction and psychological variables, while multiple logistic regression identified independent factors associated with internet addiction after adjusting for significant confounders. RESULTS: The study found that 38.6% of the students showed signs of internet addiction, along with a high level of psychological distress; 24.8% had depressive symptoms, 32.4% experienced anxiety and 35.5% reported loneliness. Moderate positive correlations were observed between internet addiction and depression, anxiety and loneliness (p<0.00). Multivariate analyses adjusted for field of study, gender and ethnicity confirmed these associations. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate significant associations between internet addiction and psychological factors such as depression, anxiety and loneliness. A comprehensive, multifaceted approach is essential to address psychological distress among university students and reduce the risk of internet addiction.