Comparative Evaluation of Mental Health in Female Internet Addict or Non-addict High School Students in Dezful

Inappropriate usage of technology, particularly Internet, can affect individuals’ physical and mental health and behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to examine mental health of female Internet-addict or non-addict high school students in Dezful in 2014.
This causal-comparative, cross-sectional study was conducted on all female high school students in Dezful in the academic year 2013-2014. In this study, 250 students were selected through multistage random sampling. After collecting the questionnaires, 216 questionnaires were selected for analysis. The study data were collected using Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and Young's Internet Addiction Questionnaire (IAT). The data were entered into the SPSS statistical software (v. 18) and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and Scheffe post hoc test.
The results showed that 28.8% and 3.8% of the students were addicted to Internet moderately and severely, respectively. In addition, 7.5% of the participants were prone to Internet addiction. A significant relationship was found between Internet addiction and physical symptoms (F=3.32, P=0.02) and anxiety (F=6.28, P=0.0001). Besides, the results of MANOVA revealed a significant difference between the Internet addicts and non-addicts regarding mental health (F=6.11, P=0.03) and Internet-addicts had lower mental health levels.
According to the results, mental health was at risk among the girls with different degrees of Internet addiction and they were susceptible to social dysfunction, anxiety, and depression. Thus, the authorities are recommended to pay special attention to this group of population.