Citation

Alavi SS, Alaghemandan H, Maracy MR, Jannatifard F, Eslami M, Ferdosi M. Int. J. Prev. Med. 2012; 3(2): 122-127.

Affiliation

School of Management and Medical Informatics, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

22347609

PMCID

PMC3278877

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the impact of internet addiction on some psychiatric symptoms among university students. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 students selected via quota sampling from universities in Isfahan, Iran. Participants completed demographic questionnaire, Young Diagnostic Questionnaire, Internet Addiction Test and Symptom Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-90-R). Finally, the means of psychiatric symptoms of internet addicted and non-addicted subjects were compared. Also, t-test and multivariate analysis of covariance were used through SPSS(16) software for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean±standard deviation (SD) of psychiatric symptoms such as somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, aggression (hostility), phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism in the addicted group were 11.27 ± 6.66, 14.05 ± 7.91, 10.5 ± 6.20, 15.61 ± 8.88, 10.77 ± 5.52, 6.77 ± 4.88, 6.05 ± 4.47, 7.61 ± 4.28, and 9.66 ± 6.87, respectively, and in the non-addicted group were 6.99 ± 6.42, 7.49 ± 5.23, 5.46 ± 4.95, 9.27 ± 7.92, 6.35 ± 6.69, 3.57 ± 3.35, 2.41 ± 2.79, 5.47 ± 4.1, and 5.29 ± 4.95, respectively. There were significant differences between the means of psychiatric symptoms in all SCL-90-R subscales and Global Severity Index, Positive Symptom Distress Index, Positive Symptom Total in the addicted and non-addicted individuals (P<0.05). Also, internet addiction (with controlling sex variable) seemed to affect psychiatric symptoms. CONCLUSION: Psychiatrists and psychologists involved in the field of mental health need to be well informed about mental problems due to internet addiction, such as anxiety, depression, aggression, and job and educational dissatisfaction.

Language: en