Digital Addiction on Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Loneliness in Healthcare Professionals: Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Digital dependence is an emerging behavioral concern characterized by excessive and uncontrolled use of digital devices, which may adversely affect mental health. This study examined the association of digital addiction with depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness among healthcare professionals. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between April 15 and July 30, 2025, with 371 healthcare professionals selected via computer-assisted simple random sampling from two hospitals, considering different shift schedules. Data were collected face-to-face using a socio-demographic form, Digital Addiction Scale, DASS-21, and UCLA Loneliness Scale. SPSS 25 was used for analysis, applying descriptive statistics and parametric tests after normality checks. Results A total of 371 healthcare professionals participated (57% female; mean daily digital use = 4.44 +/- 2.77 h). Digital addiction showed positive correlations with loneliness (r = 0.152; 95% CI: 0.05-0.25), anxiety (r = 0.167; 95% CI: 0.07-0.26), depression (r = 0.168; 95% CI: 0.07-0.26), and stress (r = 0.202; 95% CI: 0.11-0.30) (all p < 0.01). In regression models, loneliness (beta = 0.152, p = 0.003) predicted higher digital addiction scores (R & sup2; = 0.023), and device-use duration (beta = 0.256, p < 0.001) emerged as the strongest correlate of digital addiction (model R & sup2; = 0.086). Loneliness and digital addiction together explained 21-23% of variance in anxiety (R & sup2; = 0.235), depression (R & sup2; = 0.234), and stress (R & sup2; = 0.211) symptoms. It has been determined that the 8.6% change in healthcare workers' digital addiction scores can be explained by the scores of the variables Age, Number of Children, Years in the profession, Years in the unit, and Duration of digital device use. The most significant variable was found to be the duration of digital device. Conclusions Digital addiction was significantly associated with higher anxiety, depression, and stress among healthcare professionals. Longer device use increased addiction risk. Awareness programs on healthy digital media use and psychosocial support interventions are recommended.