Prevalence of Internet Addiction and it's Effects on Psychological Well-being of Adults in Hong Kong

The goal of this quantitative study is to learn about the the prevalence of internet addiction and its effects on psychological well-being of adults in Hong Kong. The main question it aims to answer is:

• What is the prevalence of internet addiction and its effects on psychological well-being of adults in Hong Kong

Participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaire that includes assessment on their level of Internet use, depression, anxiety, sleep quality, QOL together with basic demographic data in the current situation of COVID with popularity of Metaverse..

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Internet Addiction
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Questionnaires

Detailed Description

Internet addiction (IA) appeared to become serious issues since the emergence of Internet over the decades. The definition of Internet Penetration Rate (IPR) is the percentage of the entire population who has Internet usage. As of July 2022, Denmark, the UAE, and Ireland had the highest IPR, all recording 99% of their population accessing the internet. While in Hong Kong, it has reached 93.6%, not far from the first in Asia - South Korea (98%). The widespread use has shown the popularity of Internet is skyrocketing through the years.

Despite there are several studies conducted on IA from the West, the results might not be not applicable in adults in Hong Kong due to various reasons such as policies against COVID and cultural difference as lifestyle, living and social environment, family relationship style. Those might have potential influence on the engagement in physical and social activities and involvement in Internet. In addition to the emergence of Metaverse, situations, policies and people's attitude towards COVID might have changed drastically and affect the prevalence of IA in Hong Kong adult. To conclude, the effect of COVID and Metaverse on the prevalence of IA in adults in Hong Kong and the mechanisms/reasons behind is unclear.

In the present study, the investigators aim to investigate the prevalence and effects of IA on the psychosocial well-being among adults in Hong Kong by measuring the level of Internet use, depression, anxiety, sleep quality, QOL together with basic demographic data in the current situation of COVID with popularity of Metaverse.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 298

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Ka Wai Katherine Lam, Phd; Phone Number: 27666420; Email: kw-katherine.lam@polyu.edu.hk

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong,China
    • Hong Kong, Hong Kong,China, Hong Kong, 0000
      • Recruiting
      • Katherine Lam
      • Contact: Katherine Lam, Phd

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

In terms of population size, in Hong Kong, young adults occupied 26.4%-28.2% among the total population, which comparatively appeared to be a greater group than adolescents aged from 13 to 17 (3.8%). Moreover, as fertility and birth rate in Hong Kong continued to shrank to lowerst in 56 years due to multiple factors, it is estimated that the

whole population is aging and adults would be the main population in these few decades. Besides, according to the Labour Force Census, as at 2021, the highest labour force participation rate falls in age group of 25-44. Being a large population and labour force in Hong Kong, the IA behaviour of young adults are crucial to maintain productivity and social functioning. Hence this study will focus on studying young adults.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults aged 18-40
• Resided in Hong Kong
• Can speak Cantonese and write Chinese

Exclusion Criteria:

• Self-reported to have identified cognitive problems and communication problems

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Young adults in HK; questionnaire based study	Other: Questionnaires; In the present study, the investigators aim to investigate the prevalence and effects of IA on the psychosocial well-being among adults in Hong Kong by measuring the level of Internet use, depression, anxiety, sleep quality, QOL together with basic demographic data in the current situation of COVID with popularity of Metaverse.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
prevalence of Internet Addiction	Internet Addiction Test (IAT-20) developed by Young, 1998	at day 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Overall Quality of Life	Short-Form Six-Dimension (SF-6D) by Professor John Brazier and Jennifer Roberts	at day 1
Depression	Center for Epidemiologic Studes Depression scale (CES-D) by Radloff, 1977	at day 1
Anxiety	Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) by Spitzer et al, 2006	at day 1
Sleep Quality	The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) by Buysse et al, 1989	at day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 19, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 20, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 3, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): January 12, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 12, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 3, 2024
• Last Verified: November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Quality of life; Young Adults; Internet Addiction
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Technology Addiction; Behavior, Addictive; Internet Addiction Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: Prevalence of IA in Adults

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: All personal data will only be accessable within the research team, for research purpose.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No