Association between behavioral addiction and psychological disorders among medical students in Egypt, Sudan, and Libya: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract We aimed to assess the prevalence of problematic internet use, gaming disorder symptoms, or problematic pornography consumption among medical students in Egypt, Sudan, and Libya, and their associations with psychological disturbances. A cross-sectional study was conducted via an online questionnaire. We used the Problematic Internet Use Scale (IAT), the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF), and the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS). Chi-square tests were used to assess the variation between participants on the basis of their nationality. Multivariable multiple linear regression was used to assess the associations between behavioral addiction and psychological disorders and other confounders. A total of 1284 patients completed the questionnaire. The prevalence rates were 28.82%, 6.78%, and 7.55% for problematic internet use, gaming disorder symptoms, or problematic pornography consumption, respectively. Compared with other students, Egyptian medical students had a significant increase in all behavioral addictions. A positive association between increased behavioral addictions and anxiety or depression was observed. Stress was positively associated with problematic internet use and negatively associated with gaming disorder and pornography addiction. Sleeping less than 6 h was negatively associated with gaming disorder symptoms or problematic pornography consumption, whereas sleeping more than 9 h was positively associated with gaming disorder symptoms or problematic pornography consumption. Our study revealed a moderate level of problematic internet use, with a low level of gaming disorders and pornography addiction, alongside significant regional variation in prevalence.