Iranian Journal of Medical Education

Introduction: Since internet addiction is a chronic phenomenon with serious damages and inappropriate use of the internet among students is on the rise, this study was conducted to predict internet addiction based on predisposing factors such as type D personality and humor styles and explore its relationship with academic performance.

Methods: This descriptive correlational study was performed in 2015. Research population included all medical students (n=600) of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman of whom 225 were selected as the research sample using Krejcie Morgan table and simple random sampling. Data were collected using Young’s internet addiction, Denollet’s type D personality and Martin’s humor styles questionnaires. Grade point average was used to measure academic performance. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (stepwise regression and t-test).

Results: Findings showed that students with type D and non-D-type personality were significantly different in terms of self-enhancing (p=0.0001) and self-defeating (p=0.01) humor styles and internet addiction (p=0.001). Negative emotion and the self-defeating humor style predict 23% of internet addiction variance (p=0.0001, p=.038). Internet addiction is correlated with declined academic performance (p=0.047).

Conclusion: Given the more prominent role of type D personality in predicting internet addiction, it is suggested that individuals’ personality type should be considered in evaluation of internet addiction and the impact of internet addiction on academic performance should be taken into account.