Internet addiction and psychological distress among house officers in a Malaysian hospital: a cross-sectional study.

Background: House officers are susceptible to internet addiction and psychological distress. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with internet addiction among house officers in a Malaysian hospital.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of house officers at Hospital Selayang in Selangor, Malaysia. They were randomly selected to complete a survey between May and June 2023. Internet addiction was assessed using the validated Malay version of the Internet Addiction Test. Levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using the self-report Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21.

Results: Of 62 male and 81 female house officers included, 27 (18.9%) had internet addiction. In the simple logistic regression analysis, internet addiction was associated with a family history of mental illness (p = 0.043) and anxiety (p = 0.002). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, only anxiety remained to be associated with internet addiction (adjusted odds ratio = 6.34, p = 0.005), whereas a family history of mental illness became slightly not significant (adjusted odds ratio = 3.03, p = 0.051).

Conclusion: Given the bidirectional relationship between psychological distress and internet addiction, it is crucial to implement comprehensive intervention strategies that integrate mental health support with measures to manage excessive internet use.