Developmental Trajectories of Adolescent Internet Addiction: Interpersonal Predictors and Adjustment Outcomes

Internet addiction and depressive symptoms in adolescents: joint trajectories and predictors

Objective

Internet addiction and depressive symptoms are common mental health problems in adolescents. Due to the comorbidity of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms, their mutual relationship influences their developmental trajectories over time. Thus, this study aimed to identify the joint trajectories of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms, and examined the individual, family, and school antecedents of these trajectories among Chinese adolescents.

Methods

Using a battery of self-report scales, three waves of data collection were conducted in a Chinese adolescent sample (N = 1,301). The co-developmental trajectories of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms were extracted by adopting parallel-process latent class growth modeling (PPLCGM). Multinomial logistic regression was performed to assess predictive factors.

Results

Four unique joint trajectory classes were detected: the Health Group (n = 912, 70.1%), Comorbidity-Worsening Group (n = 85, 6.5%), Asymptomatic-Comorbid Risk Group (n = 148, 11.4%), and Prominent Depressive Symptoms-Remission Group (n = 156, 12.0%). Individual, family, and school factors (e.g., gender, positive youth development, family function, academic performance) significantly predicted the membership in these distinct co-developmental trajectories.

Conclusion

Our findings illustrate that the joint development of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms among adolescents presents a heterogeneous distribution, which could better inform prevention and intervention strategies since each co-developmental trajectory may represent unique experience for adolescents who need targeted treatment. Various individual, family, and school factors are important predictors that play different roles in distinguishing the joint trajectories of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms during this critical developmental transition period.

Developmental trajectories and predictors of Internet gaming disorder across the university years: A person-centered five-wave cohort study

With a rapid rise in internet gaming, internet gaming disorder (IGD) has become a contemporary concern. However, little is known about the long-term dynamic changes in IGD over time. Using a person-centered five-wave longitudinal design, the current study explored the heterogeneous trajectories of IGD among 5787 students during their university years, and examined the role of protective and risk factors in differentiating distinct patterns of IGD. The growth mixture modeling revealed three distinct trajectories of IGD: stable-low pattern (n = 4575, 87.42 %), increasing pattern (n = 357, 6.80 %), and decreasing pattern (n = 302, 5.78 %). Additionally, the students with high self-control and self-compassion were more likely to be in the stable-low group instead of the other risk groups. Depressive symptoms and peer conflicts, as two time-varying variables, were significant risk predictors for IGD. These findings highlight the importance of identifying high-risk groups for IGD and providing them with personalized and effective mental health services to reduce their risk of developing IGD in the future.

Internet addiction and depressive and anxious symptoms among Chinese rural left-behind adolescents: Mediating roles of resilience and friendship quality

BACKGROUND

Rural left-behind adolescents are more vulnerable to Internet addiction and depressive and anxious symptoms due to the lack of family support and parental supervision. This study was the first to investigate the longitudinal relationships between Internet addiction and depressive and anxious symptoms and to examine the mediating roles of resilience and friendship quality in rural left-behind adolescents.

METHODS

Included in this study, which was from a longitudinal study conducted five times over 2 years, were 1001 rural left-behind adolescents. The internationally used scales for depressive and anxious symptoms, Internet addiction, resilience and friendship quality were administered. A structural equation model was used for analysis.

RESULTS

The prevalence of Internet addiction, depressive and anxious symptoms among rural left-behind adolescents were 17.7%, 35.8% and 27.6%, respectively. Internet addiction predicted the later depressive and anxious symptoms (β = 0.200, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.116-0.274 and β = 0.263, 95% CI: 0.188-0.330). Resilience acted as an independent mediator in the relationships between Internet addiction and depressive and anxious symptoms (β = 0.037 and 0.034, P < 0.01). Resilience and friendship quality played a chain-mediating role on the longitudinal relationships between Internet addiction and depressive and anxious symptoms (β = 0.011 and 0.010, P < 0.001). The mediating effects accounted for 24.0% and 16.7% of the total effects, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Resilience and friendship quality play an independent or chain-mediating role in longitudinal relationships between Internet addiction and depressive and anxious symptoms. The findings inform targeted intervention strategies to improve the mental health of left-behind adolescents.