Majallah-i Dānishgāh-i ̒Ulūm-i Pizishkī-i Qum (Nov 2017)
The Level of Internet Dependence among Medical Students in Qom University of Medical Sciences, 2016 (Iran)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Considering the fact that internet is a necessity in today’s life and using the internet for different purposes can lead to addiction and dependence, this research was conducted to determine the level of internet addiction among medical students in Qom University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study, was carried out on all medical students studying in Qom University of Medical Sciences in 2016. In this study, 116 students were selected by convenience sampling. Data collection tool included personal characteristics questionnaire and standard internet addiction questionnaire of Young. Data were analyzed by central statistics indices, independent t-test, and ANOVA, at the significance level of lower than 0.05. Results: In this study, most of the samples were female (68.1%) and the mean age of the participants was 20.5±2.7, and only 10.3% of the participants were married and 60.3% used the internet at home. Also, the majority (57.8%) of the subjects, were mildly dependent on the Internet. According to the independent t-test, the mean score of internet addiction was significantly higher in males than females (p=0.001), and it was also significantly higher in singles than the married ones (p=0.001). Conclusion: The results of this research were indicative of high level of internet dependence among the studied students; so that familiarization of the student with internet dependency, proper use of this technology, and its usage management, seem necessary.
