Internet Addiction and Attachment Styles A Study on Tunisian Medical Students

Introduction

Internet addiction (IA) is becoming a growing concern, especially among young adults and university students. A recent study conducted in Tunisia explores how attachment styles, self-esteem, and Internet usage patterns contribute to this addiction among medical students. Understanding these psychological connections can help in developing preventive strategies and supportive interventions. Visit https://www.addictiontherjournal.com/ for more groundbreaking research in this field.

Prevalence of Internet Addiction Among Medical Student

A cross-sectional study involving 135 medical students at the Faculty of Medicine of Monastir revealed that 23.7% of students were addicted to the Internet. The average daily Internet use was 3.5 hours, with chatting (94.8%) and downloading activities (78.5%) being the most common.

Key Findings:

• Internet addiction was significantly linked to:
  • School failure
  • Alcohol use
  • Low self-esteem
• Students spent extensive time on Facebook, primarily for chatting and following news.
• Establishing online romantic relationships appeared to be a protective factor against Internet addiction.

Read the full study at https://doi.org/10.29328/journal.jatr.1001027.

The Role of Attachment Styles

Attachment theory suggests that early relationships influence how people form emotional connections. This study highlighted:

• 50.4% of students had a dismissive attachment style.
• 21.5% had a preoccupied style.
• 15.6% had a secure attachment style.
• 12.6% had a fearful attachment style.

Students with fearful attachment styles were more likely to develop Internet addiction, while those with secure attachment styles were less likely to be addicted.

The American Psychological Association emphasizes the importance of early secure attachments in preventing various behavioral addictions, including Internet addiction.

Psychological Implications and Broader Impact

• Low self-esteem was a significant predictor of Internet addiction.
• Students who spent more than 4 hours online daily had a higher risk of developing Internet addiction.
• Online gaming was identified as a high-risk activity for addiction, aligning with findings from the American Psychiatric Association regarding behavioral addiction risks.

A detailed analysis can be found in our main journal article.

Visit https://www.addictiontherjournal.com/ to explore more research in this field.

Key Takeaways

• Prevalence of Internet addiction among Tunisian medical students is alarmingly high (23.7%).
• Fearful attachment style increases the risk of Internet addiction.
• Secure attachment and online romantic relationships may serve as protective factors.
• Low self-esteem and problematic behaviors like school failure and substance use are strong predictors of Internet addiction.

Call-to-Action

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