Introduction: Today, the Internet is an integral part of students' daily lives. Alongside the many benefits that are available on the Internet, its harmful effects are particularly debated in the health field. Minor psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress can affect people's daily functioning of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between internet addiction and anxiety, stress, and depression in Mashhad medical students.
Methods: A descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 329 medical science students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the second semester of the academic year 2018-2019. The students were selected using stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using two questionnaires of Young Internet Addiction Assessment Questionnaire (IAT) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Questionnaire (DASS-21(.
Result: The mean age of students was 22.72±4.01 years. The mean duration of Internet use was 4.18±2.51 hours / day and the mean score of Depression was 5.72±4.87 and Anxiety was 4.65±4.06 and Stress was 8±4.70 (from 21 score). The results of logistic regression showed that there is a significant relationship between internet addiction and minor psychological disorders.
Conclusion: Due to the high prevalence of Internet use among students and its association with minor psychological disorders, it seems essential that relevant authorities, by cultivating, informing, and planning to leisure optimization, resolve the problem of addiction Internet and thus reduce the severity of mild mental disorders.