BACKGROUND
The Internet changed the lives of average citizens in the early part of the 21st century, and it has now become an essential part of daily life. Many studies reported that Internet use is positively correlated with psychological and mental problems, included depression, loneliness, and stress. Previous studies examining Internet use and mental health were confined to local and community subpopulations, and limited at the individual level, which increases the potential bias from selection effect at a different level. Regional variables were stable estimate of people’s socioeconomic and culture environments and how these variables affect mental health needed to be studied.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between regional variables, especially reginal Internet access, and mental stress among university students, which will provide more reliable results considering people’s socioeconomic and culture environments
METHODS
Participants were 11,954 students, who were identified through a multistage survey sampling process conducted in 50 universities. Regional Internet access was retrieved from a national database, and mental stress was measured using perceived stress scale. Both unadjusted and adjusted methods were considered in the analyses.
RESULTS
More than one third 36.9% (95% CI: 24.4%–49.5%) of university students in this study suffered from high mental stress. The base multilevel logistic regression model found grades, university type, and city populations were significantly related to students’ mental stress, and in the full model, regional website subscribers were negatively associated with students’ mental stress.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provided directive evidences that regional Internet access contributes to students’ mental health. The information from this study could be helpful to those responsible for establishing Internet policy on campuses and to those who work with students experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety.