ArticlePloS one2023
Internet addiction and its relationship with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, anxiety and stress among university students in Malaysia.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between internet-use-disorder symptoms and loneliness: a systematic review and meta-analysis with a categorical approach.Psychological medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Internet Addiction and Emotion Regulation Difficulties in Patients Diagnosed With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.Psychiatry investigation · 2026Article
- On the relationship between internet addiction and ADHD symptoms in adults: does the type of online activity matter?BMC public health · 2025Article
- Depression, anxiety, stress symptoms among overweight and obesity in medical students, with mediating effects of academic burnout and internet addiction.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exploring anxiety and sleep disorders among Edna Adan university students in Somaliland: associated stressors and insights.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Online orientation in early school grades: relationship with ADHD, boredom, concentration tendencies, and mothers' parenting styles.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsThere is growing evidence on the contribution of psychological factors to internet addiction; yet it remains inconsistent and deserves further exploration. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the psychological symptoms (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms, stress, depression, anxiety and loneliness) and internet addiction (IA) among the university students in Malaysia. MATERIALS AND
methodsA total of 480 students from different faculties in a Malaysian public university participated in this study. They were selected by simple random sampling method. They completed self-administered questionnaires including the Malay Version of Internet Addiction Test (MVIAT)) to measure internet addiction and Adult Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Symptom Checklist, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) to assess for ADHD symptoms, depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness respectively.
resultsThe prevalence of IA among university students was 33.33% (n = 160). The respondents' mean age was 21.01 ± 1.29 years old and they were predominantly females (73.1%) and Malays (59.4%). Binary logistic regression showed that gender (p = 0.002; OR = 0.463, CI = 0.284-0.754), ADHD inattention (p = 0.003; OR = 2.063, CI = 1.273-3.345), ADHD hyperactivity (p<0.0001; OR = 2.427, CI = 1.495-3.939), stress (p = 0.048; OR = 1.795, CI = 1.004-3.210) and loneliness (p = 0.022; OR = 1.741, CI = 1.084-2.794) were significantly associated with IA.
conclusionA third of university students had IA. In addition, we found that those who were at risk of IA were males, with ADHD symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity, who reported stress and loneliness. Preventive strategy to curb internet addiction and its negative sequelae may consider these factors in its development and implementation.
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