A comparison of severity of symptoms of Internet addictionin students from Poland, Taiwan and the USA
Keywords:
Internet addiction, epidemiologyAbstract
The aim of this work was to verify the hypothesis that there are statistically significant differences among students from Poland, Taiwan and the USA in the severity of symptoms of Internet addiction, as measured using Pawłowska and Potembska's Internet Addiction Assessment Questionnaire.
Material and methods: A total of 147 medical students from the Medical University of Lublin were surveyed, including 83 Polish, 31 Taiwanese and 33 American students with a mean age of 21 years. The following instruments were used in this study: an inquiry form and the Internet Addiction Assessment Questionnaire by Potembska and Pawłowska.
Results and conclusions: Based on the results obtained in the study, the following conclusions have been formulated:
- The students from Taiwan have significantly more severe symptoms of Internet addiction than the students from Poland and the USA.
- The students from the USA have significantly more severe symptoms of Internet addiction than the Poles.
- The criteria for the risk of Internet addiction have been met by more Taiwanese students (65%) than American (31%) and Polish (17%) students.
- Taiwanese students significantly more often as compared to Polish and American students play violent computer games and they believe that only online interactions can ensure acceptance, understanding and the possibility to express true feelings and views.
5. As compared to Polish students, the students from Taiwan and the USA significantly more often use web pornography.
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