The Relationship Between Internet Addiction and Psychosomatic Disorders in Iranian Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study (2020)

J Addict Dis. Apr-Jun 2020;38(2):164-169.

doi: 10.1080/10550887.2020.1732180.

Fatemeh Feizy  1 , Efat Sadeghian  2 , Farshid Shamsaei  3 , Lily Tapak  4

Abstract

Internet addiction has an important impact on individuals, families, and communities. The effects of internet addiction are cumulative, significantly contributing to costly physical, mental, social, and public health problems. Thus, this study sought to examine relationships between internet addiction and psychosomatic disorders in Iranian undergraduate nursing students. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 undergraduate nursing students in the city of Hamadan in Iran, in 2018. Data collection tools included socio-demographic, the internet addiction test (IAT), and the psychosomatic complaints questionnaire. Data were analyzed by a Pearson’s and independent t-tests using SPSS-18.0. The mean age of the students were 22.3 ± 3.02. The findings showed that 78.7% of nursing students reported mild, 20% moderate and 1.3% severe internet addiction, and there was a significant positive correlation between internet addiction and psychosomatic disorders (P < 0.05, r = 0.132). Internet addiction and psychosomatic disorders in nursing students can jeopardize their mental and physical health, and affect their future academic and professional activities. Therefore, providing educational and counseling interventions and reducing the negative effects of the internet can help to improve student health.

Keywords: Internet addiction; nursing students; psychosomatic disorders.