Background:Problematic internet use is on the increase and has caused serious problems in many areas. This issue seems to be more important for medical students.Objectives:This study was designed to explore the prevalence of internet addiction and its related factors among the students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.Materials and Methods:A cross sectional study was conducted on 383 medical students of Mashhad in 2013. Four hundred participants were selected through two-stage stratified sampling method proportional to the number of students in each stage of education. Data Collection was done through using the Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS) and a checklist of demographic details and characteristics of internet usage behavior.Results:It was found that 2.1% of the studied population were at risk and 5.2% were addicted users. Chatting with new people, communicating with friends and families, and playing games were the most popular activities in these groups. The factors related to internet addiction included: male sex, stage of education, daily time spent on using internet, most frequent time of internet use, monthly cost of use, and tea consumption.Conclusions:Although our study showed the prevalence of internet addiction was not more than other populations and universities, since the prevalence of internet addiction is rapidly increasing worldwide, this population might also be at risk of addiction. Thus, focusing on related factors can help us in designing more effective interventions and treatments for this susceptible group.

Objective: Considering the impact of rapid sociocultural, political, and economical changes on societies and families, population-based surveys of mental disorders in different communities are needed to describe the magnitude of mental health problems and their disabling effects at the individual, familial, and societal levels. Method: A population-based cross sectional survey (IRCAP project) of 30 532 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years was conducted in all provinces of Iran using a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by 250 clinical psychologists trained to use the validated Persian version of the semi-structured diagnostic interview Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-PL (K-SADS-PL). Results: In this national epidemiological survey, 6209 out of 30 532 (22.31%) were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder. The anxiety disorders (14.13%) and behavioral disorders (8.3%) had the highest prevalence, while eating disorders (0.13%) and psychotic symptoms (0.26%) had the lowest. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was significantly lower in girls (OR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.80-0.90), in those living in the rural area (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.73-0.87), in those aged 15-18 years (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86-0.99), as well as that was significantly higher in those who had a parent suffering from mental disorders (OR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.63-2.36 for mother and OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.07-1.66 for father) or physical illness (OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.17-1.35 for mother and OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.28 for father). Conclusion: About one fifth of Iranian children and adolescents suffer from at least one psychiatric disorder. Therefore, we should give a greater priority to promoting mental health and public health, provide more accessible services and trainings, and reduce barriers to accessing existing services.

Objective This study investigated the prevalence of feeding and eating disorders, and identified their correlates and comorbidities among children and adolescents. Method We used the nationally representative sample of the Iranian Children and Adolescents' Psychiatric disorders (IRCAP) survey, with 30,532 participants randomly selected by a multistage cluster sampling method. We employed the kiddie schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia‐present and lifetime version (K‐SADS‐PL) semi‐structured face‐to‐face interview to screen for any psychiatric disorders, including feeding and eating disorders, and associated factors. We used multivariate binary logistic regression to analyze the data. Results Valid data from 27,111 participants were analyzed. The total prevalence of feeding and eating disorders among children and adolescents was 0.89 (0.81–1.10). In all types of feeding and eating disorders, the adjusted odds ratio was higher among girls (except binge‐eating disorder) and older adolescents but was lower among rural residents. The most common psychiatric comorbidities observed in children and adolescents with feeding and eating disorders were obsessive–compulsive disorder (20.2%), agoraphobia (20.2%), depressive disorder (16.4%), social phobia (10.1%), oppositional defiant disorder (10.1%), generalized anxiety disorder (9.4%), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (7.5%), and conduct disorder (5.7%), which were significantly more common compared to their peers without feeding and eating disorders. Discussion Older age, female gender and living in an urban area are predisposing factors in feeding and eating disorders (in binge‐eating disorder, the male gender is a positive correlate). We suggest that future works pay attention to the role of gender, comorbidities and predisposing factors.

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Depression is the most common mental illness among women. Its prevalence in women is two to three times that of men. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of resilience training on the reduction of depression in female college students. This semi-empirical study was carried out with two experimental groups and one control group. The research sample was women with symptoms of depression who were 18-22 years of age and living in a college dormitory. One experimental group was given eight 90-minute resilience training sessions, while the other received eight 90-minute cognitive therapy sessions. The control group didn't receive any interventions. The three groups under study were evaluated using the Beck II depression inventory before and after the interventions and two months after the treatment had ended. The three groups didn't have significant differences in age, marital status, or depression scores on the pretest. The resilience training group and cognitive therapy group showed a significant decrease in the average depression score from pretest to posttest and from pretest to follow-up. The main effect of groups, stage, and interaction between groups and stage also were significant (all were p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between effectiveness of resilience training and cognitive therapy on depression but there was a significant difference between these two treatment groups and the control group. The effectiveness of resilience training was just as good as the effectiveness of cognitive therapy. The effects of resilience training on depression remained stable from the posttest to the follow-up, like that of cognitive therapy.

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