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BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

The association between internet addiction and psychiatric co-morbidity: a meta-analysis

Authors: Roger C Ho, Melvyn WB Zhang, Tammy Y Tsang, Anastasia H Toh, Fang Pan, Yanxia Lu, Cecilia Cheng, Paul S Yip, Lawrence T Lam, Ching-Man Lai, Hiroko Watanabe, Kwok-Kei Mak

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

This study evaluates the association between Internal Addiction (IA) and psychiatric co-morbidity in the literature.

Methods

Meta-analyses were conducted on cross-sectional, case–control and cohort studies which examined the relationship between IA and psychiatric co-morbidity. Selected studies were extracted from major online databases. The inclusion criteria are as follows: 1) studies conducted on human subjects; 2) IA and psychiatric co-morbidity were assessed by standardised questionnaires; and 3) availability of adequate information to calculate the effect size. Random-effects models were used to calculate the aggregate prevalence and the pooled odds ratios (OR).

Results

Eight studies comprising 1641 patients suffering from IA and 11210 controls were included. Our analyses demonstrated a significant and positive association between IA and alcohol abuse (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 2.14-4.37, z = 6.12, P < 0.001), attention deficit and hyperactivity (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 2.15-3.77, z = 7.27, P < 0.001), depression (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 2.04-3.75, z = 6.55, P < 0.001) and anxiety (OR = 2.70, 95% CI = 1.46-4.97, z = 3.18, P = 0.001).

Conclusions

IA is significantly associated with alcohol abuse, attention deficit and hyperactivity, depression and anxiety.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
The association between internet addiction and psychiatric co-morbidity: a meta-analysis
Authors
Roger C Ho
Melvyn WB Zhang
Tammy Y Tsang
Anastasia H Toh
Fang Pan
Yanxia Lu
Cecilia Cheng
Paul S Yip
Lawrence T Lam
Ching-Man Lai
Hiroko Watanabe
Kwok-Kei Mak
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-14-183

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