Prevalence of internet gaming addiction and its association with sleep quality in medical students

Abstract

Background: In Asia, there are approximately 2.3 billion internet users. Addiction to internet gaming takes a multifaceted toll on an individual's physical and mental well-being, casting a long shadow over their daily endeavors and also their sleep cycle. Aim: To study the prevalence of internet gaming addiction and how it affects sleep quality in medical students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with a sample size (n = 112) in the Government Medical College, Datia (M.P.), and data were collected using a semi-structured proforma including the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale and Mini Sleep Questionnaire in the study population. Results: In the study population with age group 18–28 years (mean age: 21 ± 1.7 years), the majority of them belong to the Hindu religion (91.1%), nuclear family (66.1%), and urban community (75.9%). Most students (n = 74) had mild to moderate sleep difficulty related to internet gaming addiction, that is, 65.1%. The most common response was “sometimes” on the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale. A significant association was observed between gaming disorder and parameters of sleep mainly in waking up too early, daytime sleepiness, snoring, feeling tired, and headache upon waking up with gaming disorder. Conclusion: Among medical students, gaming addiction is significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Steps need to be taken to promote healthy internet use to improve sleep quality and mitigate negative effects to avoid long-term health impacts.