THE RELATIONSHIP OF INTERNET USAGE WITH ALCOHOL DRINKING AND DRUG ABUSE: A CASE OF MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Author: Malaysia, United Kingdom & Iran

Abstract

Malaysia ranks as the 10th largest consumer of alcohol; it holds the 71st position in terms of per capita cigarette consumption, averaging 646 cigarettes smoked by each adult annually. The primary aim of this research was to examine the connections between the purpose of Internet usage, attitudes towards the Internet, drug abuse, and alcohol consumption. This quantitative study utilized a survey design by employing a questionnaire. The study sample consisted of 440 individuals from the University Putra Malaysia. The selection of students was done through stratified random sampling. The majority of the participants were Muslims, constituting 69% of the sample, followed by Buddhists at 19.1%. Christianity and Hinduism represented the minority religions. The majority of respondents were pursuing undergraduate studies. Concerning income, less than half of the participants (30%) reported earning between 2100 to 3000 Malaysian Ringgits (RM) per month, with the remainder earning 1000 to 2000 RM per month. The association between Internet usage purpose and alcohol consumption or drug abuse did not show significance. While there was no correlation between attitude towards the Internet and alcohol consumption, a significant relationship was found with drug abuse. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results indicated significant mean differences in religion concerning alcohol usage, whereas such differences were not observed for drug usage. The findings regarding the relationship between level of education, income and drug and alcohol consumption revealed no disparities in both alcohol and drug usage across different levels of education and income