Comparing the Motives for Binge-watching between Undergraduate Medical &amp; Non-medical Students of Peshawar, Pakistan

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-4370137/v1

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Comparing the Motives for Binge-watching between Undergraduate Medical & Non-medical Students of Peshawar, Pakistan

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4370137/v1

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Background: Binge-watching is the practice of watching several episodes of a television show at once. Both harmful and beneficial effects of this habit have been attributed to it, including decreased sleep and productivity and enhanced emotional involvement with the material. This study examines the driving forces behind binge-watching among undergraduates enrolled in medical and non-medical schools.

Methods: The open-source software, “OpenEpi" was used to calculate the population size. 313 heavy binge-watchers in total were surveyed. 157 medical students and 156 non-medical students made up the sample. A validated version of the Watching TV Series Motives Questionnaire (WTSMQ) was used in this cross-sectional study to determine the motivations underlying the participants' binge-watching behavior.

Results: The results showed a significant positive correlation between the degree of respondents and the escapism motive (r = 0.178, p = 0.002). However, no significant correlations were found between the degree of respondents and the other three motives including enrichment (r = 0.035, p = 0.537), emotional enhancement (r = 0.041, p = 0.465), and social (r = 0.016, p = 0.782).

Conclusion: The study found that medical and non-medical students have similar motives for binge-watching. The need to escape from reality is a common reason for this behavior. The findings emphasize the importance of understanding the underlying motives for binge-watching behavior, which could inform the development of interventions to reduce problematic binge-watching behaviors.

Binge-watching

Medical students

Non-medical students

Motivation factors

Watching TV Series Motives Questionnaire (WTSMQ)

Due to the growing use of new technical devices and the introduction of on-demand entertainment services, there has been a substantial change in how television material is consumed during the past few decades. This transformation has led to a fundamental change in the approach to TV content, with a varied selection of TV shows now being freely available and accessible through on-demand services such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu.^[1]As a result, a brand-new viewing behavior known as binge-watching,the continuous and uninterrupted viewing of multiple TV series episodes in one sitting has emerged, particularly among young individuals.^[2,3] The practice of binge-watching has become extremely popular among viewers, allowing them to interact with various TV screenplays whenever they wish to do it.

Although binge-watching can be fun, it has been linked to adverse effects such as sleep disruptions, exhaustion, and psychological suffering.^[4]Research has shown that binge-watching is significantly associated with stress & anxiety.^[5,6]

Escapism, enrichment, emotional enhancement, and social are the four primary reasons for binge-watching. Escapism is the urge to run away from the real world and everyday challenges. Emotional enhancement is the pleasure obtained from feeling a variety of emotions while watching a program, whereas enrichment refers to the fun of gaining new knowledge. Social connections and conversations that arise from viewing a show with friends or chatting about it online are referred to as the social factor.^[7]

Binge-watching has become more prevalent among undergraduate students in Pakistan.^[8]A validated questionnaire called the Watching TV Series Motives Questionnaire (WTSMQ) was used to look into the reasons why this cohort engages in binge-watching.^[7,9]The four factors for binge-watching are covered in the WTSMQ.

Previous research has examined the motivations for binge-watching in general populations, but little is known about how academic background may influence these motivations.^[10,11] This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the motivation factors for binge-watching among students attending medical & non-medical schools.

In short, binge-watching has spread as a popular form of entertainment, yet it could have deleterious consequences. Knowing the reasons why certain populations engage in binge-watching can help guide initiatives meant to lessen its possible detrimental impacts.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on students of one medical & one non-medical college in Peshawar. After approval from the institutional ethics review committee, the sample size was calculated using an open-source software known as OpenEpi.^[12] The calculator calculates the minimum sample size required for the study with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%. A total of 313 participants were surveyed, out of which 157 were medical & 156 were non-medical.

A 22-items containing validated questionnaire; the Watching TV Series Motives Questionnaire (WTSMQ) consisting of 4 motivation factors (Escapism, enrichment, emotional enhancement & social) was used.

The questionnaire consisted of 26 items and was divided into five sections:

• Section 1: Demographic Data= This section included questions related to degree (medical/non-medical), age, gender & residency status (hostelite/day scholar).

• Section 2: Escapism= This section included 8 questions related to the motivation factor; escapism (e.g. I watch TV series to pass the time and escape from boredom).

• Section 3: Enrichment= This section included 5 questions related to the motivation factor; enrichment (e.g. I watch TV series to discover whole new worlds and to increase my knowledge on several subjects).

• Section 4: Emotional enhancement= This section included 4 questions related to the motivation factor; emotional enhancement (e.g. I watch TV series to feel strong emotions like the excitement or the thrill they give me).

• Section 5: Social= This section included 4 questions related to the motivation factor; Social (e.g.: I watch TV series not to be out of touch because most of my friends d it).

The respondents were asked to indicate the level (Not at all=0, very little=2, somewhat=3, to a great extent=4) of 22 question statements to describe the factors that were likely to be their reason for motivation to binge-watch.

The collected data were analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics 25. In the first step, variables were computed regarding demographic characteristics. Then the 22 items of the WTSMQ were categorized into 4 sections i-e Escapism (containing 8 statements and 32 marks total), Enrichment (5 statements & 20 marks total), Emotional enhancement (4 statements & 16 marks total) & Social (4 statements & 16 marks total). Mean was calculated for every category, for escapism, any response above 19 was considered to be influenced by that factor, for enrichment above 13, for emotional enhancement above 11 & for social above 8 was considered to be influenced by that very factor. The recorded data was then transferred to Excel sheets.

For the motive of escapism, the regression model was significant with the degree of the respondent being a significant predictor (β = 0.178, p = 0.002). The adjusted R-squared value was 0.028, indicating that the degree of the respondent explained 3.2% of the variance in the escapism motive.

For the motive of enrichment, the regression model was not significant and the degree of the respondent was not a significant predictor (β = 0.035, p = .537).

For the motive of emotional enhancement, the regression model was not significant and the degree of the respondent was not a significant predictor (β = 0.041, p = 0.465).

For the motive of social, the regression model was not significant (F(1, 311) = 0.076, p = 0.782), and the degree of the respondent was not a significant predictor (β = 0.016, p = 0.782).

Overall, the results suggest that the degree of the respondent may play a role in their motive for escapism while binge-watching. However, no significant differences were found between medical and non-medical students in the other motives for binge-watching. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the motives behind binge-watching behavior, which can help in developing effective interventions to reduce problematic binge-watching behaviors.

Table 1: Regression Analysis Results for Binge-Watching Motives among Medical and Non-Medical Students

Motive	Predictor	Standardized Coefficients (Beta)	p-value
Escapism	Degree of Respondent	0.178	0.002
Enrichment	Degree of Respondent	0.035	0.537
Emotional enhancement	Degree of Respondent	0.041	0.465
Social	Degree of Respondent	0.016	0.782

The results showed that the degree of respondents positively correlated with the escapism motive, indicating that undergraduate students tend to use binge-watching as a means of escape from their academic workload and stress. These findings are consistent with previous studies that have found escapism to be a common motive for binge-watching among university students. ^[13-15]

However, the present study did not find any significant correlations between the degree of respondents and the other three motives: enrichment, emotional enhancement, and social. These results suggest that the motives for binge-watching may not differ significantly between medical and non-medical students in Pakistan. However, other research has presented findings suggesting that social interaction can be a motive for this activity. ^[15,16]

The lack of significant differences in the motives for binge-watching between medical and non-medical students in the present study could be attributed to the fact that university students from different majors share similar demographic and psychographic characteristics. To our knowledge, no previous study has compared the motives for binge-watching between medical & non-medical students previously, hence we cannot comment on these findings without further investigation.

The limitations of this study should be taken into account when considering the results. Firstly, the results can't be generalized to other populations due to the small sample size and inclusion of just one medical and one non-medical college in Peshawar. Secondly, relying solely on self-reported data raises concerns about biases in respondents' perceptions and may understate the complexity of binge-watching behavior and motivations. The WTSMQ employed in the study also included a small number of items and motivational factors, which may have missed some crucial motives.

Despite the limitations mentioned, this study can be added to the existing body of media consumption habits, as it shed light on the motives behind bine-watching focusing on the influence of degree programs. These findings can inform interventions and support strategies targeted at managing stress and promoting healthier coping mechanisms among these groups. Future research addressing these limitations would provide a more effective understanding of binge-watching behavior among undergraduate students.

The present study aimed to investigate the motives for binge-watching among medical and non-medical students. The results revealed that both groups had similar motives for binge-watching, as there were no significant differences in the motives for enrichment, emotional enhancement, and social motives between the two groups. However, a significant positive correlation was found between the degree of respondents and the escapism motive. The findings of this study suggest that students from different fields of study have similar motivations for engaging in binge-watching, and the need to escape from reality is a common reason for this behavior. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of understanding the underlying motives for binge-watching behavior, which could inform the development of interventions to reduce problematic binge-watching behaviors.

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No competing interests reported.

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Comparing the Motives for Binge-watching between Undergraduate Medical & Non-medical Students of Peshawar, Pakistan

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