Comparing Cognitive Impairment, Borderline Personality Symptoms and Impulsivity in Internet-Addicted and Non-Addicted Students

Today, due to the widespread use of the internet, the phenomenon of internet addiction and factors affecting its emergence have attracted the attention of researchers. The purpose of this research was to compare the cognitive impairments, impulsivity and borderline personality symptoms in internet-addicted and non-addicted users. In this causal-comparative study, 300 students were selected through random sampling from among students of Islamic Azad University of Ardabil during the academic year of 1393-1394 who responded to the Online Questionnaire. One-hundred-twenty subjects whose internet addiction scores were one standard deviation lower than or higher than the average were selected as addicted and non-addicted internet users and responded to impulsivity questionnaire, borderline personality scale and cognitive failures questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Findings indicate that internet-addicted users compared to non-addicted users had higher levels of cognitive impairment, impulsivity and borderline personality symptoms. Because of the harmful consequences of internet addiction, researchers believed that identifying factors that predispose a person to addiction to the Internet could be used to prevent damage to users through preventive programs and intervention.