A National Cross-sectional Study on Internet Addiction and Musculoskeletal Pain Among Jordanian Medical Students.

The rise in internet use among students is a growing concern about its impact on physical health. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with musculoskeletal pain among medical students in Jordan. A national cross-sectional study was conducted from Februa...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Community Health Vol. 50; no. 6; pp. 1096 - 1105
Main Authors: Alkousheh, Hazim, Shereer, Fadel Tayseer, Abu Suilik, Husam, Alkousheh, Yara, Habarneh, Abeer, Alfauri, Yara, Ismail, Waed, AlQatawneh, Rahaf, Atallah, Tala, Al-Baka'in, Sandra, Abu Al Karsaneh, Ola
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Dec2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=189088426&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 189088426
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00945145
        JCH
      jtl: Journal of Community Health
      issn: 00945145
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Dec2025
      vid: 50
      iid: 6
      pid: 237
      pub: Springer Nature
    artinfo:
      ui:
        189088426
        10.1007/s10900-025-01495-1
      ppf: 1096
      ppct: 9
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              size: 813KB
      tig:
        atl: A National Cross-sectional Study on Internet Addiction and Musculoskeletal Pain Among Jordanian Medical Students.
      aug:
        au:
          Alkousheh, Hazim
          Shereer, Fadel Tayseer
          Abu Suilik, Husam
          Alkousheh, Yara
          Habarneh, Abeer
          Alfauri, Yara
          Ismail, Waed
          AlQatawneh, Rahaf
          Atallah, Tala
          Al-Baka'in, Sandra
          Abu Al Karsaneh, Ola
        affil:
          https://ror.org/04a1r5z94 Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan
          https://ror.org/05k89ew48 School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, 11942, Amman, Jordan
          https://ror.org/02r4khx44 Department of Family Medicine, Jordanian Royal Medical Services, 855122, Amman, Jordan
          https://ror.org/00qedmt22 Faculty of Medicine, Al-Balqa Applied University, 19117, Al-Salt, Jordan
          https://ror.org/008g9ns82 Faculty of Medicine, Mutah University, Karak, Jordan
          https://ror.org/03y8mtb59 Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
          https://ror.org/04a1r5z94 Department of Microbiology, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, 13133, Zarqa, Jordan
      su:
        Jordan
        Internet addiction
        Cross-sectional method
        Compulsive behavior
        Musculoskeletal pain
        Questionnaires
        Multiple regression analysis
        Digital health
        Disease prevalence
        Descriptive statistics
        Chi-squared test
        Odds ratio
        Psychology of medical students
        Data analysis software
        Confidence intervals
        Regression analysis
      sug:
        subj:
          Internet addiction
          Cross-sectional method
          Compulsive behavior
          Jordan
          Musculoskeletal pain
          Questionnaires
          Multiple regression analysis
          Digital health
          Disease prevalence
          Descriptive statistics
          Chi-squared test
          Odds ratio
          Psychology of medical students
          Data analysis software
          Confidence intervals
          Regression analysis
      keyword:
        Cross-sectional study
        Medical students
        Cross-sectional study
        Medical students
      ab: The rise in internet use among students is a growing concern about its impact on physical health. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with musculoskeletal pain among medical students in Jordan. A national cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2025 across undergraduate medical students in six Jordanian universities, using an online questionnaire that included three sections: demographics, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire-Extended (NMQ-E). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression for the associations between internet addiction and musculoskeletal complaints across nine body regions. Among 1100 students, 65.9% were females. Most students fell within mild (38.7%) or moderate (27.6%) internet addiction levels, while 29.5% were classified as having normal internet use, and 4.1% showed severe addiction. Gender and academic year were not significantly associated with addiction level, though university affiliation was (p = 0.017). Musculoskeletal pain was very common, especially in the neck (67.6%), shoulders (43.5%), and lower back (38.2%). Regression analysis showed that male students had higher odds of experiencing elbow (p = 0.011) and ankle/foot pain (p = 0.049), but lower odds of neck (p < 0.001), shoulder (p < 0.001), and upper back pain (p < 0.001). Internet addiction scores showed no strong link to musculoskeletal symptoms, except for elbow discomfort (p = 0.036). Internet addiction is common among medical students in Jordan, but it shows a limited association with musculoskeletal disorders. Nonetheless, the high prevalence of both conditions highlights the need for integrated strategies that promote healthy digital habits and physical well-being among students.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N