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Behavioral Addictions Prevalence and Impact on Medical Sciences Students' Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2024

Omer A. Mohammed ,
Danya Ibrahim ,
Shima Algam Mohamed ,
Shaza K. Babikir  and
Ayman Zuhair
Omer A. Mohammed
Affiliation:
Khartoum University, Faculty of Medicine, Khartoum, Sudan
Danya Ibrahim*
Affiliation:
Khartoum University, Faculty of Medicine, Khartoum, Sudan
Shima Algam Mohamed
Affiliation:
University of Al-Neelain, Faculty of Medicine, Khartoum, Sudan
Shaza K. Babikir
Affiliation:
Khartoum University, Faculty of Medicine, Khartoum, Sudan
Ayman Zuhair
Affiliation:
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, United Kingdom
*
*Presenting author.
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Abstract

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Aims

This study aims to illuminate the prevalence of various behavioral addictions among health professions students and examine their negative effects on mental health.

Methods

In March 2023, a systematic literature search was conducted, encompassing randomized controlled trials, cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies from the past five years in PubMed and ScienceDirect. Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, 19 papers underwent qualitative analysis, while 15 studies were subjected to quantitative analysis following a quality assessment review.

Results

The study included 9,994 health professions students, primarily in the field of medicine, aged between 18 and 23 years. The majority of the students were unmarried, females, and most were in clinical years. The prevalence of behavioral addiction was 36% (95% CI: 20–51), with smartphone addiction being the highest at 46%, followed by internet addiction (42%), social media disorder (22%), and gaming disorder (4%). Substantial heterogeneity was observed among the studies. A funnel plot analysis assessed the potential for publication bias, revealing no significant indication of bias. A significant difference was observed between the groups.

Conclusion

This study identifies five distinct forms of behavioral addictions influencing the mental health and daily activities of health professions students. The findings underscore the need for longitudinal and interventional studies to address this technological threat.

Type
1 Research
Information
BJPsych Open , Volume 10 , Supplement S1: Abstracts from the RCPsych International Congress 2024, 17–20 June , June 2024 , pp. S45 - S46
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists

Footnotes

Abstracts were reviewed by the RCPsych Academic Faculty rather than by the standard BJPsych Open peer review process and should not be quoted as peer-reviewed by BJPsych Open in any subsequent publication.

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