The Relationship Between Internet Addiction and Depression in Nursing Students of Larestan School of Nursing and Gerash Paramedical School

Background As the use of computers and the Internet by adolescents and young adults continues to grow, it appears to be essential to study the relationship between the consumption of electronic media and mental health. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between depression and Internet addiction in nursing students of Hazrat Zainab school of nursing (Larestan University of Medical Sciences) and Gerash Paramedical School, located in the southern part of the Fars province. Materials and Methods This was a descriptive correlation study, in which a questionnaire, including the beck depression inventory (BDI) and the youngʹs internet addiction test (IAT), were distributed among a total 150 volunteer students of Larestan Faculty of Medical Sciences. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software, version 19 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results The results showed that four percent of the participants of this study had Internet addiction and this dependency on the Internet, as according to the t-test, was not significantly different between males and females. However, the current results showed a significant association between depression and Internet addiction (P = 0.024, r = 0.222). Conclusions Technology plays an important role in our everyday lives and the identification of its dimensions is crucial.