Post-COVID-19 Health-Related Quality of Life in a Sample of Malaysian Population: Association between Internet Addiction and Sociodemographic Characteristics

The COVID-19 pandemic changed how people communicate, whereby there is an increase in internet usage, raising concerns about internet addiction (IA). This study aimed to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Malaysian adults and its association with IA and sociodemographic characteristics. A cross-sectional study was conducted between June and September 2022. Participants were given a set of online questionnaire including the Short-Form (SF-12) scale. The SF-12 measured two domains of HRQOL: physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). A total of 250 adult patients participated with the mean age of 34.69 years (SD 11.39). Most participants were females (n = 149, 59.6%) and Malays (n = 203, 81.2%). The mean scores for HRQOL components, specifically PCS and MCS were 46.94 (SD 7.46) (min = 23.36, max = 67.11) and 46.18 (SD 10.12) (min = 9.32, max = 72.70), respectively. The prevalence of IA was 30.3%, with a mean score of 39.09 (SD 12.28) (min = 20, max = 87). Multivariable analysis revealed that Malay ethnicity was associated with higher PCS [β = 2.93, (95% CI 0.51, 5.35), p = 0.018] and MCS [β = 3.16, (95% CI 0.28, 6.05), p = 0.032] compared to non-Malay. IA was negatively associated with MCS [β = -0.37, (95% CI -0.46, -0.28), p < 0.001], meaning that the participants with one-unit higher IA scores had lower MCS scores by 0.37 compared to participants with one-unit IA scores. Our finding demonstrates a decrement in HRQOL domains compared to before the pandemic. Malay ethnicity had a higher physical and mental well-being, while individuals with IA had lower mental well-being.