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

Internet Addiction Clinical Trial

Official title:

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

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT06205004
• Other study ID #: Prevalence of IA in Adults
• Status: Recruiting
• Start date: May 19, 2023
• Est. completion date: June 30, 2025

Study information

• Verified date: November 2023
• Source: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Contact: Ka Wai Katherine Lam, Phd
• Phone: 27666420
• Email: kw-katherine.lam[@]polyu.edu.hk
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

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..

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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 298
• Est. completion date: June 30, 2025
• Est. primary completion date: December 31, 2024
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 40 Years

Eligibility

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

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Behavior, Addictive
• Internet Addiction

Intervention

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.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Hong Kong	Katherine Lam	Hong Kong	Hong Kong,China

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Hong Kong, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	prevalence of Internet Addiction	Internet Addiction Test (IAT-20) developed by Young, 1998	at day 1
Secondary	Overall Quality of Life	Short-Form Six-Dimension (SF-6D) by Professor John Brazier and Jennifer Roberts	at day 1
Secondary	Depression	Center for Epidemiologic Studes Depression scale (CES-D) by Radloff, 1977	at day 1
Secondary	Anxiety	Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) by Spitzer et al, 2006	at day 1
Secondary	Sleep Quality	The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) by Buysse et al, 1989	at day 1