Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Socio-Demographics Correlates among Undergraduate Students of Private University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Cyberspace is more than ingrained in individuals' daily lives, especially in lives of university students. Internet dependency is a growing problem affecting university students globally. The research was carried out to find out prevalence of World Wide Web dependency, determine its socio demographic correlates with internet use at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). The quantitative descriptive research design was used to determine association between variables. Simple random sampling was applied to choose 360 participants. After careful scrutiny of questionnaires, data for 327 participants was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Data was collected using the socio demographic survey forms and the Internet Addiction Test Scale. The study established that overall internet addiction in CUEA was 18.3%; with the prevalence among females being 20.3% and among male students 15.6%. The study further confirmed that undergraduates commonly used the internet for non-educational work inclined towards socialization and entertainment. However, some students used internet for academic work. Lastly, the study found age and duration on cyberspace to be critical correlates of internet use, p < .05. However, the study did not confirm critical impact of gender, year of study and faculty on internet use, p > .05. Finally, the findings stipulated that Web dependency emerged as a problem that needs categorization under DSM-V. As such, the results should raise awareness to mental health specialists and CUEA administration that internet addiction is a potential problem affecting students; who are required to be selective readers and proficient knowledge analyzers with a view to succeeding in educational achievements.