Attention, working memory and executive functions in patients with internet addiction disorder

BACKGROUND: Attention, working memory and executive functions are high cortical activities which can be impaired in patients with internet addiction disorder (IAD). Many studies have shown a considerable cognitive deficit compared with healthy individuals. The aim of the study was to determine the possible deficits in the afflicted patients in an Iranian population. METHODS: In this descriptive- analytic study, 30 patients with internet addiction disorder were recruited compared with 30 healthy counterparts through semi-structured interview (SCID), Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The drop-out rates were 10 and 13 percent for IAD and control group, respectively. Cognitive functions were assessed by Persian Paper and Pencil Cognitive Assessment Package (PCAP).Data were analyzed through SPSS-23 by Analysis of variance and chi- square. P- Values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Stroop test and Verbal fluency test showed no significant difference in attention and executive functions between the groups (p>0.05) but Backward Digit Span Test (BDST) and Letter Number Sequencing Test (LNST) revealed a significant difference (p< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that patients with IAD were suffering from working memory impairments which may impact on educational functioning especially among students. KEYWORDS: Attention, Working memory, Internet addiction