Internet Addiction, Prevalence and Epidemiological Features in Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran

Background: The concept of internet addiction, also called internet addictive disorder or pathological internet use, entered the medical lexicon in 1995. This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of internet addiction among north Iranian internet users and to explore the epidemiological features associated with internet addiction. Methods: 1856 internet user volunteers' from Mazandaran Province cities were surveyed, using Farsi version of Young's Internet Addiction Questionnaire during 2005-2006. Results: 424 dependent users were enrolled. The incidence rate of internet addiction was 22.8%. Dependent users spent a mean of 14.4 hours per week (SD=13.7) compared to non-dependent users who spent a mean of 9.0 hours per week (SD=10.4). The dependent users were 256 males and 165 females. Dependent users predominantly used the two-way communication functions available on the internet like chat rooms. Conclusion: The present study suggests that internet addiction is common among northern Iranian internet users. In addition, chat rooms are most addictive web environment among this population.