Background & Aims: At present, Internet addiction has developed widely in various societies and cultures and its increasing expansion has clarified the need for researchers and experts to know the reasons, reflections and problems of Internet addiction. On the other hand, feeling lonely is related to psychosocial problems such as low self-esteem, low abilities, mild social relationships and problems such as anxiety, depression, suicide, physical health such as immune functions and sleep problems and loss of quality of life. Among the above categories, health is the most important issue of humans because it is related to life and death. In this regard, the results of a research by Nastizaei (2009) showed that the general health of users who are addicted to the Internet (especially in the sub-scales of stress and depression and apathy) was more damaged than normal users. Considering the effects of Internet addiction for a person who is addicted to it, such as changing the lifestyle to spend more time on the Internet, not paying attention to one's health, avoiding important life activities, reducing social interactions, Ignoring family and relatives, financial problems that arise due to the use of the Internet, as well as educational problems, it is necessary to research the problem of Internet addiction and its various aspects. According to the research conducted in the field of the subject, no research was found that compares internet addiction in single and married people, also considering the importance of paying attention to internet addiction in order to find an effective way to deal with it on the one hand and to solve it. The feeling of loneliness as a social problem that has irreparable consequences on individual and social life, the researcher is trying to answer the question of whether Internet addiction and public health and feeling of loneliness are different in married and single people in Gorgan city. Methods: In order to conduct this causal-comparative and applied research, 129 people (58 single people and 71 married people) were selected among single and married people in Gorgan city according to the factors that may lead to the loss of information in filling out the questionnaires. Available sampling method was selected as the sample and Young Internet Addiction Questionnaires (IAT) (1998), social-emotional loneliness of adults (SELSA-S) Di Tommaso et al. (2004), general health (GHQ Goldberg (1979) answered. In order to analyze the data, SPSS version 16 software was used in two descriptive (mean, standard deviation and tables) and inferential (analysis of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (k-s) test and T-test) sections. Results: The results showed that the difference in the average score of Internet addiction in the two research groups (MD = -4.06) is statistically significant (P = 0.003, t = 2.9). This means that the rate of internet addiction or being exposed to internet addiction is higher among single people than married people. On the other hand, it was found that the difference in the average score of general health in two research groups (single and married) (MD = 4.7) is statistically significant (P = 0.02, t = 2.4). This means that the level of mental health of single people is lower than that of married people. Finally, the results showed that the difference in the average feeling of loneliness (MD = -7.7) is statistically significant (P = 0.00, t = -4.6). This means that there is a significant difference between the loneliness scores of single and married people, and in this research, married people have experienced loneliness more than single people. Conclusion: The obtained results show that the rate of internet addiction or being exposed to internet addiction is higher among single people than married people. In explaining the above results, it can be said. The high level of internet addiction or being exposed to internet addiction among single people compared to married people can be due to the attractiveness and variety of content available on the internet, as well as the high tendency of the young age group, who are expected to be more single than the age group. Adults who are more expected to form the married segment of the society, looking for and having interactions with the world ahead, the ability to remain anonymous and easily access the Internet and the variety of content that exists on the Internet and provide the ability to get away from reality. Undesirable things in life are among the attractive features that lead people, especially single people, to use the Internet more than usual. Also, another result obtained is that married people have experienced loneliness more than single people. In explaining the above results, it can be said that man is a vague being with various aspects, that various causes will directly and indirectly affect his behaviors and work efficiency. The high feeling of loneliness in married people can be caused by the lack of intimate relationships between couples. In this regard, the results of various researches showed that the higher the level of happiness and satisfaction with life of married people, the less their feeling of loneliness will be, and vice versa; Married people who are less satisfied with their life will feel more lonely in their daily life. Also, the obtained results show that the level of mental health of single people is lower than that of married people. In explaining the above results, it can be said that the high general health of married people can be due to the fact that marriage itself causes a sense of identity and self-esteem, which is effective in increasing the general health of married people. People who are married are satisfied and enjoy the benefits of social and economic support as a result of marriage. The number of deaths in them is lower, and by controlling various causes, they are much happier than people who are single, and they also have better physical and mental health and live longer. In fact, the mental health of society depends on the continuation and survival of marriage and the formation of a stable and eternal family. The results of the research conducted by the American Public Health Administration also showed that, in a meaningful way, compared to people who are single, married people have better conditions in terms of mental health and a lower percentage of them suffer from mental health problems. They are mental and physical diseases. |