Determining the Internet Addiction in Medical Students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Internet plays an important role in   Medical Students’ lives and has a great role in their learning and research. Covid-19 significantly changed students’ lifestyles, leading to internet overuse or even addiction. Following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, virtual and online activities have increased considerably. In this study, we evaluated the average internet usage and internet addiction in medical students in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences medical during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this cross-sectional study, 221 Medical Students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were selected using convenience sampling. They were asked to fill out Young Internet Addiction Questionnaire (Young-IAT). Demographic data and patterns of internet usage were also obtained. ANOVA, Chi-square, and Fisher-Exact Test were used to analyze data in IBM SPSS Statistics software v.16. Among 210 medical students surveyed, 59.2% were female, and 47.1% were male. 38.8% of Medical Students had more than 6 hours per day of internet use. 58.6% of the medical students were mildly addicted to the internet, whereas 1.9% were severely addicted.  No association was found between internet addiction and average age, gender, and marital status. There was a statistically significant relationship between internet addiction and internet use for scientific / academic purposes. In addition, internet addiction was significantly higher in medical students, who had more daily internet use. Considering the increasing internet use and addiction among medical students, it is required to follow appropriate cultural actions to control and eliminate its mental and psychological side effects.