ISSN 1990-9233
© IDOSI Publications, 2013
DOI: 10.5829/idosi.mejsr.2013.14.11.447
Corresponding Author: Ramezan Jahanian, Department of Education, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Karaj, Iran.
The Impact of Internet Addiction on Students' Mental Health
in Technical and Vocational Colleges in Alborz Province
Ramezan Jahanian and Zeinab Seifury
1 2
Department of Education, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Karaj, Iran 1
Faculty Member in Sama Technical and Vocational College, 2
Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Karaj, Iran
Abstract: Many uses of the Internet and its charm in recent years have led to the emergence of a phenomenon known as "Internet addiction ". Internet itself is a harmlesstool but incorrect usage of netmay lead to the risk of addiction which consequently might result in disruptions in mental health and social relationships. Therefore, the present study aimsat investigating the extent to whichthe Internet addiction may have impacts onstudents' mental health in technical and vocational colleges in Alborz province.The present paper is run on the basis of descriptive comparative research method. 150 college students of the whole 260 female students in technical and vocational colleges in Alborz province were selected according to stratified random sampling on the basis of Morgan table. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Young [1]. Internetaddiction test. Descriptive and Inferential statistics have been used to analyzedata. The results reveal that there is a significant and inverse relationship between Internet addiction and students' mental health. In addition, the obtained results indicate that regarding the occurrence of addiction to the Internet 36.6% of the subjects were slightly addicted to the Internet; 55.3% of the subjects were respectively addicted to the Internet; 7.3% of the subjects weremoderately addicted to the Internetand 0.6% of the subjects were severely addicted to the Internet.
Key words: Internet addiction Mental health Students Internet addiction test
INTRODUCTION Mostpeople think that the addiction is merely related Internet is undoubtedly leading to the new industrial cocaine and heroin; but psychologists believe that revolution;with the entrance of thousands of newcomers anything that stimulates human being and make them feel and about 200 million users from all over the world, today, energetic can be addictive; therefore, addiction is not it is forming a communicative, social and economic limited to drugs. Whenever a habit becomes a revolution. It isactually at the peak of the digital industrial compulsion, like gambling, drugs, alcohol, or even playing revolution and every kind of new revolution computer games, chatting, surfing the net all can be consequentlygives rise to new problem. The unique considered as an addiction. Behavioral addictions should characteristics of the Internet such as its 24- not be ignored because of the lack of "material” [3]. houravailability,simple working, low cost, anonymity of its The fourth and the last edition of Diagnostic and users and etc. have welcomed many people throughout Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-IV-TR) the world [2]. In addition, these characteristics which, on introduced the Internet addiction as a set of "impulse the one side, are the capabilities of the Internet, on the control disorders not specified as another kind" and the other side are considered as its disadvantages. One of the same disorder in the next edition of 2011had been problems that the Internethas led to is that of virtual classified under the same category [4].
addiction, or addiction to the said great global network For the first time,the idea thatthe terminology of which has a very harmful behavioral-psychological impact "addiction" isn't just addiction to drugs and it could be in on the Internet users. other cases, had been presented by Peele [5]. According to using chemical compositions such as alcohol, nicotine,
to him, something which makes people addicted to some Important social, occupational, or recreational behavior is the pleasant experience about doing that activities are given up or reduced because of Internet behaviorlike what they may feel when using the chemical use.
drugs. In the Internet addiction, humansbecome addicted Continuous use of using Internet despite being not to the substance, but to work with computer or to the aware of its disadvantages [14].
feeling achieved during working with the Internet [6, 7].
According to Peele's theory some experts such as Goldberg considers Internet addiction disorder as a Goodman [8] Griffiths [9], Murali [10] and Beard [11, 12] kind of behavioral disorder which is used as a mechanism offered some diagnostic criteria for behavioral addiction. for confrontation and is taken from the dependencecriteria For instance, Young [13] has established a set of to drugs in DSM-I [15].
diagnostic criteria for Internet addiction based on Davis argues that the term "Pathological Internet pathological diagnostic criteria of gambling in the Use (PIU)" is more appropriate than the other terms. DSM-IV.He stated that any person who has at least five He maintains that the use of Internet is not only an positive responses to the said symptoms will be known as addictive behavior but also is a set of cognitive and Internet addicted person: behavioral factors in the context of the Internetwhich has Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (think Orzack considers Internet addiction as a disorder about previous on-line activity or anticipate next on- and believes that people who consider their line session)? relationship with computer screen more attractive Do you feel the need to use the Internet with than the real life will suffer from their real life. He believes increasing amounts of time in order to achieve that whoever possesses computer is exposed to the risk
satisfaction? of addiction but those shy, depressed, lonely and
Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to impatient individuals and particularly those who are control, cut back, or stop Internet use? recovering from another addiction are more Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable vulnerable [12].
when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?
Do you stay on-line longer than originally intended? Literature Review: Dealing with Internet addiction is Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of significant difficult like any other addiction. Addiction to Internet, relationship, job, educational or career opportunity heroin, cigarettes, alcohol and drugs all have the same because of the Internet? basic components and giving them up is not easy and Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others painless.
to conceal the extent of involvement with the At first, the addictedperson denies the matter
Internet? and believes that problem can be solved and has
Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping no impact on his or her life and in fact there isn't from problems or of relieving a dysphonic mood any problem. Denialactually causes the addicted (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety and person not to leave the first step of
depression)? dependence.
American Psychiatric Association defined Internet they could solve the problem; they are reluctant to have addiction as a pattern of Internet using which results in other's help. Since they don’t have any source of functional disorders and unpleasant internal feelings satisfaction, they move toward dependence more than during a two-month period and provided seven criteria for before.
its diagnosis (At least three criteria for two months): Another significant problem of addicted people is
Tolerance therefore they move toward addiction. Finally, any kind of
Withdrawal symptoms attempts to give up addiction and dependence will face The Internet is often accessed more often, or for with failure [17].
longer periods of time than was intended. Internet addiction disorder is an interdisciplinary Continuous incline for controlling the behavior. phenomenon and medical and computer sciences as well A significant amount of time is spent in activities as sociology, law, morality and psychology have studied related to Internet use. different aspects of this phenomenon [18].
a negative effect on people's life [16].
In the next step, the addicted individuals think that
King Storm [19], in a study, found that people who Qasemzadehet al. [24] found out 3.8% of high school have Internet addiction are alone and shy and are students in Tehran are addicted to Internet. Nasiriet al. suffering from depression. Kubey et al. [20] stated in [25] also in a study tried to investigate the prevalence of their studies that use of Internet as an entertaining Internet addiction among students and its influential tool is related to serious damages in individual factors. The obtained results showed that 13.8% of the function including educational problems, loneliness students suffer from severe internet addiction which and insomnia.Young and Rogers [13] also found out was higher than the rate gained previous rate (2.2%). that 5 to 10 percent of the world's online population is They also believe that such severe internet addiction is
addicts. due to poor academic performance and social interaction.
About 54% of Internet addicts have a background of They also stated that changes in social background may depression and 34% of them have a background of result in severe internet addiction.
anxiety [18], Young [1]. In the other study about According to the previous researches and due to the Internet addiction Young concluded that Internet wide use of the Internet in our society especially in the addicts suffer from certain symptoms and are faced cortex of students and with respect to the fact that the with consequences which are exactly the same as the issue of Internet addiction in many advanced industrial consequences of those addicted to alcohol, gambling, societies has been discussed; it seems that the increasing shopping and other obsessive behaviors. According to use of the Internet in Irancan affect mental and physical his opinion pathological use of the Internet is health of young people and in future, we see the problem associated with mild to severe depression. He stated that of Internet addiction. Therefore, it is required to know the low self-esteem, low motivation, fear of rejection and patterns of using Internet and the like electronic tools to approval seeking is associated with depression and such increase our knowledge and be aware of its impacts on kind of depression is associated with the level of our life.
usingInternet. Young maintains that the available Thus, this study is conducted in order to researches in the field of Internet addiction confirmed that investigatethe impacts of Internet addiction on students' Internet addiction is related with serious damages in mental health in Sama technical and vocational colleges in personal, social and career issues of people [13]. Another Alborz province.
research in this regard shows that people who use the
Internet for a long period of time will have interpersonal, Research Method: Thepresent paper is carried out on social and academic problems [21]. Basedon their the basis of descriptive comparative research method. findings,Moeedfar etal. concluded that those who are 150 college students of the whole 260 female students in addicted to theInternet feel less responsibletoward their technical and vocational colleges in Alborz province were society and their surroundings, are more socially selected according to stratified random sampling on the alienated, have more educational job failures, have less basis of Morgan table [26].
social support and feel less self-esteem.In addition,
obtained results revealed that those addicted to Internet The data collection tools are: have a low self-value. Therefore, we might say that one of
the consequences of Internet addiction is low level of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is a
self-value [18]. questionnaire consisting of 28 questions which was
There is no accurate statistics about the number of designed by Goldberg [27]. This questionnaire is Internet addicts in Iran.But Dargahi and Razavi [22] in composed of four sub-tests of physical symptoms, their research on 732 Internet users who were between 15 anxiety, social disorder and depression, to each of to 39 years old reported that 30% of Internet users are which7 questions has been assigned.
addicted to the Internet and all of themhave Internet Addiction Test (1998): This questionnaire showndifferent degrees of mental - social behaviors such which is based on DSM-TR criteria for a diagnosis of as self-alienation, weakness and inability to do things, intermittent explosive and pathological disorders is socially aberrant behavior, introversion and emotional one of the most reliable tests to measure the Internet
behavior. addiction which Kimberly Young created [28].
Vizeshfar's study [23] which was performed on 230 Itconsists of 20 multiple choice itemsbased on Likert cases of Internet users 5.17% of users had mild addiction scales. It's scoring is as always (score 5), often (score or the possibility of addiction and 2.2% were suffering 4),frequently (score 3), occasionally (score 2) rarely
The test score-range is between0-100. The higher thescore, the greater the level of addiction is. According to the scores the level of addiction is divided to 4 categories:
0 - 19 points: typical 20-49 points: mild 50-79 points: moderate
80-100 points: Severe. Inferential statistics were used for data analysis.
Also, T-Test was conducted in this study in order to recognize whether there is a difference between scores and the mean or not.
RESULTS
The results of the present study indicate that the prevalence of Internet addiction wereas follows:36/3% are mild users, 55/3 are typical users, 7/3% are moderate users and 0.6% are severely addicted to the Internet.
The Main Research Question: Doesinternet Addiction Have Influences on Students'mental Health?
Theresults of T test analyzed by SPSS software is illustrated on Table (1). As indicated in the table, the mean of the data is 22.03 and the standard deviation is16.536;the mean error is also calculated as 1.350.
In Table (2), the interpretation of hypothesis tests of study is illustrated. Due to the significant level (sig=0.00), we cansay that there is a significant difference between the mean of Internet addiction among students and the number 3. Number 3 is validation base of hypothesis test. The t statistics is calculated as 14.097 and it is positive and upper limit of the confidence interval is 16/37 and lower limit of the confidence interval is 21.70 or 95%. All these cases are indicative of the fact that the average variable Internet addiction among students is larger than the number 3. In conclusion, we might say there is a significant relationship between Internet addiction and mental health of students.
Table 1: T test result
One-Sample Statistics
---N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Independent variable 150 22.03 16.536 1.350
Fig. 1: The frequency distribution of the prevalence of Internet addiction in the students
Fig. 2: Percentage of the prevalence of Internet addiction regarding the students studied
The hypothesis of the study suggestinglow mental health of students in individuals with excessive use of the Internet (Internet addiction) will be accepted and the second hypothesis of the research is rejected.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Internet addiction has been identified as a new disorder and many studies proved and indicated its signssymptoms. Internet today is the most recent and Table 2: Interpret hypothesis testing research
One-Sample Test
---Test Value = 3
---95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
---t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Lower Upper
important human technology which is widely used and its Internet addiction has recently been considered as users are increasing. It is a phenomenon which still has its a mental disorder and the number of those who go to primary attractiveness. Thus, the present study is run to visit a psychiatric clinic and seek help due to Internet study the relationship between Internet addiction and addiction is gradually increasing [33]. The Internet is student's mental health in Sama technical and vocational not anenemy; people will be addicted to it due to colleges in Alborzprovince. various reasons. It makes them alienated with their real Several approaches have been proposed to explain life and has negative impacts on their lives. Since Internet addiction. For example, according to Grohol's prevention is the preferredtreatment, according to result opinion, we can say that most of the people who are of this study, this phenomenon should be taken into extreme users, they reduce their use of Internetas a result consideration as a psychological problem with which of excessive use. Like many other people who previously the young generation has got involved. Educating were addicted to the satellite and the video. However, people in families, schools and universities should help another important issue is that we should find the roots of substituting the incorrect use of Internet with its correct this dependence. We should understand why people are one. In fact, in today's world, Internet technology and drawn to the heavy reliance on something like Internet. computers are considered as the most effective tools Finding roots of such dependence is more important than and we are forced to use them provided that it is used the tool people depend on. only when it is required and based on appropriate On the other hand, perhaps one might conclude that instructions and strategies; in fact, we are not going to even in the absence of Internet such individuals will find threaten our physical and mental health by the excessive another way to conquer their pressures and tension use of Internet.
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