Association Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness Across the World: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Association Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness Across the World: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review Publisher

Mozafar Saadati H¹ ; Mirzaei H² ; Okhovat B³ ; Khodamoradi F⁴

Show Affiliations

1. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2. HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
3. Tehran west health center, Iran university of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran
4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Source: SSM - Population Health Published:2021

Abstract

There might be an association between Internet addiction (IA) and loneliness; however, inconsistent evidence suggests that the severity of this association remains unclear. This study was conducted to assess the association between IA and loneliness. A systematic literature search was conducted in four online databases, including PubMed (MESH terms), Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase. Observational studies measuring the association between IA and loneliness were screened and included in this review. A meta-analysis was conducted using the Stata software. Twenty-six articles with a total sample size of 16496 subjects were included in the analysis. A moderate positive association (r = 0.15 (95% CI: 0.13, 0.16)) was found between IA and loneliness. The individuals with IA had significantly higher scores of loneliness. According to this meta-analysis, we need more attention to the early symptoms of loneliness in individuals with IA. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the temporality of this association considering adjustment for time varying confounders. © 2021 The Authors

Experts (# of related papers)

Mohammad Reza Mohammadi (1)

Style	Citing Format
MLA	Mozafar Saadati H, et al.. "Association Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness Across the World: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review." SSM - Population Health, vol. 16, no. , 2021, pp. -.
APA	Mozafar Saadati H, Mirzaei H, Okhovat B, Khodamoradi F (2021). Association Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness Across the World: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review. SSM - Population Health, 16(), -.
Chicago	Mozafar Saadati H, Mirzaei H, Okhovat B, Khodamoradi F. "Association Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness Across the World: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review." SSM - Population Health 16, no. (2021): -.
Harvard	Mozafar Saadati H et al. (2021) 'Association Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness Across the World: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review', SSM - Population Health, 16(), pp. -.
Vancouver	Mozafar Saadati H, Mirzaei H, Okhovat B, Khodamoradi F. Association Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness Across the World: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review. SSM - Population Health. 2021;16():-.
BibTex	@article{ author = {Mozafar Saadati H and Mirzaei H and Okhovat B and Khodamoradi F}, title = {Association Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness Across the World: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review}, journal = {SSM - Population Health}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {-}, year = {2021} }
RIS	TY - JOUR AU - Mozafar Saadati H AU - Mirzaei H AU - Okhovat B AU - Khodamoradi F TI - Association Between Internet Addiction and Loneliness Across the World: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review JO - SSM - Population Health VL - 16 IS - SP - EP - PY - 2021 ER -

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Abstract