شیوع اعتیاد به اینترنت و ارتباط آن با کیفیت خواب و کیفیت زندگی در دانشجویان دانشگاه علوم پزشکی زاهدان

Background and Aim: The Internet is a strong and multimedia technology that meets the most basic needs of human beings; however, this new technology can have great negative effects on people's lives. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Internet addiction and its relationship with quality of sleep and quality of life among students of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences.           Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Zahedan in 2017.The study population included all the students of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. A sample of 340 students were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using three World Health Organization questionnaires, namely, quality of sleep, Internet addiction and quality of life questionnaires, and analyzed using SPSS (v22), the statistical tests being ANOVA and linear regression test and T-test. Results:  Data analysis showed that Internet addiction and the quality of life among the students were mild (43 ± 15) and desirable (78.4± 1.6), respectively. However, the sleep Quality Index for 282 students (82.9%) was not desirable. There were statistically significant associations (p<0.05) between the place of residence on the one hand and Internet addiction, quality of sleep and quality of life on the other. Conclusion: Based on the findings it can be concluded that Internet addiction has a negative effect on the quality of sleep and quality of life of the students. The students need to pay more attention to the use of the Internet. It is also recommended that behavioral and cognitive intervention be designed and implemented aiming at teaching the students proper use of the computer and the Internet.