Impulsivity, inhibition, and internet addiction in medical students of North of Iran

Abstract

BackgroundInternet addiction, a serious psychological disorder, has rapidly increased among students and caused substantial interpersonal impairments. On the other hand, some evidence has indicated that impulsivity is associated with addictive behaviors.ObjectivesThere are a few studies concerning the relationship between internet addiction and impulsivity in Iranian students. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between impulsivity and internet addiction in the medical students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Golestan, Iran, within 2020–2021.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, 260 medical students at Golestan University of Medical Sciences in 2021 completed demographic, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and Young questionnaires and participated in a Go/No-Go computer test. Based on Young test scores, the students were divided into three groups of normal users, at-risk users, and users requiring treatment and compared regarding impulsivity and inhibition ability. Data was analyzed using SPSS v 23.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 24.16 years. The results showed a significant correlation between impulsivity and internet addiction (p = 0.001), which was established in all contextual indicators. A significant correlation was also shown between impulsivity and internet addiction (r = 0.602 and p = 0.001), both in male and female student. However, restraint index was correlated with internet addiction only in females (r = 0.187 and p = 0.033).ConclusionBased on these findings, impulsivity increases alongside the rising of the internet addiction severity and does not influence by gender.

Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Its Associated Risk Factors Among Medical Students in Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…While previous studies have often reported a higher prevalence of internet addiction among males, our study revealed a 1.9-fold higher risk in female medical students [11,20,25]. This finding aligns with the survey conducted by Haroon et al in Pakistan [26] and the study conducted in Qassim, Saudi Arabia [12].…”

“…Similarly, our prevalence rate was more significant than that among Iraqi medical students, where it was 71.8% with no severe addiction reported [ 18 ]. Additionally, our results exceeded those of a recent study conducted in North Iran, which found an addiction rate of 22.8% and a slightly higher severe addiction rate of 3.4%, which aligns more closely with our findings for severe addiction [ 11 ]. Furthermore, a study conducted by Chaudhari et al among medical students in India revealed a prevalence rate of 58.87%, with no students classified as severely addicted [ 9 ].…”

“…However, the prevalence rate of internet addiction varies widely across different countries and studies. For example, a study conducted on medical students in Egypt found that 68.3% of students were internet addicted [ 8 ], while studies among medical students in India reported a prevalence rate of 58.87% [ 9 ], in Tanzania, 31%[ 10 ] in Iran, 22.8% [ 11 ], in Korea, 11.5% [ 1 ], and in Saudi Arabia, 12.4% [ 12 ].…”