Problematic Internet Use amongst Chinese adolescents: Are relationships with parents important? (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alimila Hayixibayi ◽  
Esben Strodl ◽  
Wei-Qing Chen ◽  
Adrian B Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Physical Abuse ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Parental Bonding ◽  
Chinese Adolescents ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Adolescent Conflict ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Verbal Conflict

BACKGROUND Problematic internet use (PIU) is prevalent amongst Chinese adolescents. There is a need to better understand how parent-adolescent relationship quality is associated with adolescent PIU to guide the development of effective prevention and early intervention programs. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine parent-adolescent conflict and parental bonding as potential factors associated with adolescent PIU. METHODS A sample of 6552 students (age 10 to 19 years) from 22 schools in Guangdong, China, was recruited. Participants completed questionnaires measuring conflict (involving verbal conflict, emotional abuse, and physical abuse) and parental bonding with parents, and PIU. RESULTS Multiple regression analyses found that greater mother-adolescent conflict and father-adolescent conflict, and lower levels of parental bonding were associated with higher levels of PIU. The association of mother-adolescent conflict with PIU was stronger in older students than younger students, while the association of father-adolescent conflict with PIU was stronger in male students than female students. Compared to those who reported no mother-adolescent conflict, participants who experienced verbal conflict and emotional abuse, but not physical abuse from their mothers, reported higher levels of PIU. Compared to those who reported no father-adolescent conflict, participants who experienced verbal conflict, emotional abuse and physical abuse from their fathers were subject to significantly higher levels of PIU. CONCLUSIONS These findings point to the value of interventions to reduce parental verbal conflict, emotional abuse and physical abuse and to increase parental bonding to lower the risk of PIU in Chinese adolescents.

scholarly journals Association between problematic internet use and behavioral/emotional problems among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of sleep disorders

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10839
Author(s):  
Wanxin Wang ◽  
Xueying Du ◽  
Yangfeng Guo ◽  
Wenyan Li ◽  
Sheng Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Disorders ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Emotional Problems ◽  
Chinese Adolescents ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
The Relationship

Background Studies that focus on the relationships of problematic Internet use (PIU), sleep disorders, and behavioral/emotional problems were limited. This study aimed to explore (1) the relationship between PIU and behavioral/emotional problems among Chinese adolescents and (2) whether sleep disorders mediate the relationship between PIU and behavioral/emotional problems. Methods A total of 1,976 adolescents were recruited by cluster sampling from ten secondary schools in Guangzhou between January and April 2019, and 1,956 of them provided valid information (response rate: 98.9% ). Among them, 50.8% were males and the mean age was 13.6±1.5 years, ranging from 11 to 18 years. Data on behavioral/emotional problems, sleep disorders, and PIU were collected using a self-reported questionnaire. Linear regression models and mediation analyses were performed. Results Of the participants, 14.5% (284/1,956) reported moderate to severe PIU, and their average score for total difficulties was significantly higher than the score for average users (14.9±5.5 Vs 9.8±4.7). After adjusting for controlled variables, PIU was further proven to be positively related to elevated levels of behavioral/emotional problems (unstandardized β = 0.16, p < 0.05). In addition, sleep disorders partially mediated the forgoing associations. Conclusions Adolescents with problematic Internet habits were at higher risk of developing behavioral and emotional problems than their normal-use peers, and sleep disorders partially mediated the effect. Close attention and effective guidance for adolescents with PIU and behavioral/emotional problems were recommended for parents and schools.

General Population-Based Studies of Problematic Internet Use

2020 ◽  
pp. 56-64
Author(s):  
Hans-Jürgen Rumpf
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Internet Applications ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Internet Gaming ◽  
Wide Range

In Europe, 16 studies based on general population samples show a wide range of prevalence estimations ranging from 0.2% to 11.8% for Internet addiction and from 2.8% to 25.1% for at-risk use. Differences are due to assessment instruments, age groups, regions under study, and whether surveys focus on Internet gaming alone or on broader use of different Internet applications. The disorders are associated with male gender, younger age, mental health problems, and unfavorable social conditions. Prevalence estimations in most of the European studies show that relevant proportions of the population suffer from problematic Internet use, particularly in young age groups. Effective prevention and early intervention and treatment are necessary to face this new disorder. Future studies would benefit from generally accepted criteria and assessment tools for problematic Internet use.

scholarly journals Parental Attachment and Problematic Internet Use among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Gender and Grit

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 8933
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Lan ◽  
Wenchao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Parental Attachment ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Chinese Adolescents ◽  
Maternal Attachment ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Paternal Attachment ◽  
Optimal Functioning

Problematic Internet use (PIU) is currently becoming a more serious public health concern, representing a deleterious effect on adolescent adaptive emotional and behavioral patterns. Given the prevalence of PIU and its deleterious impact on adolescents’ optimal functioning, it is valuable to investigate the risk and protective factors of PIU. Guided by a socio-ecological framework, the current study examines the associations of paternal attachment and maternal attachment with PIU among Chinese adolescents. Furthermore, this study investigates whether adolescents’ gender and grit moderate this association. A total of 2677 Chinese adolescents (56.5% girls; Mage = 15.56; SD = 1.57) was involved in this study. Adolescents were uniformly instructed to complete a battery of self-reported questionnaires. The results of linear regression analyses showed that paternal attachment and maternal attachment security were negatively related to PIU. Moreover, moderation analyses revealed that higher levels of grit buffered against boys’ PIU in the context of paternal attachment security and girls’ PIU in the context of paternal attachment insecurity. The current study suggests that parental attachment security plays an important role in mitigating the likelihood of Chinese adolescents’ PIU. Moreover, the buffering role of grit in PIU varies by the levels of paternal attachment security, depending on the adolescents’ gender.

scholarly journals Problematic Internet Use, Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs, and Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents: A Large-Scale Study in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 774
Author(s):  
Beifang Fan ◽  
Wanxing Wang ◽  
Tian Wang ◽  
Bo Xie ◽  
Huimin Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Chinese Adolescents ◽  
Problematic Internet Use ◽  
Large Scale Study ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Path Models

This large-scale study aimed to test, among Chinese adolescents, the association between problematic Internet use (PIU), non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD), and depressive symptoms, as well as the mediating effects of NMUPD on the associations above. This study used the data from the 2017 National School-based Chinese Adolescents Health Survey, and 24,345 students’ questionnaires qualified for the analyses. Generalized linear mixed models and path models were performed. In the models without mediation, PIU was associated with depressive symptoms (unstandardized β estimate = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.25–0.27); frequent use of opioid or sedative was also related to depressive symptoms (unstandardized β estimate for opioid = 2.77, 95% CI = 1.90–3.63; unstandardized β estimate for sedative = 4.45, 95% CI = 3.02–5.88). Additionally, the results of the path models indicated that opioid misuse partially mediated the association between PIU and depressive symptoms. PIU and opioid/sedative misuse were related to the increased risk of depressive symptoms, respectively. The association above might be complicated, and PIU may elevate the risk of opioid or sedative misuse and depressive symptoms, which in turn could worsen the situation of PIU and vice versa. Multidisciplinary health intervention programs to prevent adolescents involving in PIU, as well as NMPUD, are recommended to be provided.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document