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

当前位置： X-MOL 学术 › PeerJ › 论文详情

Our official English website, www.x-mol.net, welcomes your feedback! (Note: you will need to create a separate account there.)

Association between problematic internet use and behavioral/emotional problems among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of sleep disorders
PeerJ ( IF 2.3 ) Pub Date : 2021-02-22 , DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10839
Wanxin Wang ₁ , Xueying Du ₂ , Yangfeng Guo ₂ , Wenyan Li ₁ , Sheng Zhang ₁ , Lan Guo ₁ , Ciyong Lu ₁

Affiliation

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.

更新日期：2021-02-22

点击分享查看原文

点击收藏

公开下载

阅读更多本刊最新论文本刊介绍/投稿指南11