Internet addiction among Poles living in Poland and the UK in the light of COVID-19 –a pilot study

Abstract

Purpose: Any addiction is a rather significantproblem, not only in terms of health, but also interms of society. The pandemic outbreak wasassociated with a reduced quality of life forpopulations around the world and contributed towidespread health, social and economic impacts.The aim of this study was to assess the level ofinternet addiction in a group of Poles living inPoland and the UK in light of the COVID-19pandemic.Material sand Methods: In January 2023, an onlinecross-sectional survey was conducted among Polishadults living inPoland and the United Kingdom. Thequestionnaires in the form of a link to the form weresend via Facebook to groups of Poles living inUnited Kingdom and in the private social media ofthe researcher. The Kimberly Young questionnairewas used to assess the extent of internet addictionamong Poles living in Poland and the UnitedKingdom.Results: Among the respondents, women slightlypredominated (51.5%). The vast majority of therespondents were people who suffered fromCOVID-19 at least once during the pandemic (90%)and were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 (61.5%).The analysis of the results showed that 24.5% of therespondents abused the Internet, there were nopeople strongly addicted to the Internet in the studygroup. The conducted research showed nostatistically significant gender differences with thelevel of Internet addiction.Conclusions: Based on the study, it was concludedthat the average level of Internet addiction of peopleliving in Poland was significantly lower than inpeople living in the United Kingdom.