The Effect of U.S. University Students' Problematic Internet Use on Family Relationships: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

Meaning in life as a mediator between interpersonal alienation and smartphone addiction in the context of Covid-19: A three-wave longitudinal study

In the context of the Covid-19, the present study designed a longitudinal study to examine the relationship among interpersonal alienation, meaning in life and smartphone addiction. Meanwhile, with the development of the epidemic whether there would be changes in the three variables was also examined. A sample of 579 university students (baseline mean age = 20.59, SD = 2.20) finished the anonymous questionnaires about interpersonal alienation, meaning in life and smartphone addiction. Three repeated measurements were obtained in June, September and December 2020. The finding indicated that university students’ interpersonal alienation and meaning in life significantly increased, and the risk of smartphone addiction significantly decreased with the epidemic under control. Besides, meaning in life in the middle mitigating period of the epidemic mediated the relationship between interpersonal alienation in the early severe period of the epidemic and smartphone addiction in the basic end period of the epidemic. The study contributes to our understanding of how low levels of interpersonal alienation may improve meaning in life and reduce the risk of smartphone addiction. What’ s more, it provides scientific suggestions for the prevention and intervention of the adverse effects during public health emergencies.

Associations of emotional and behavioral problems with Internet use among Chinese young adults: the role of academic performance

BACKGROUND

To investigate the independent association between different types of emotional and behavioral problems and Internet use (i.e., Internet use time and problematic Internet use [PIU]) among Chinese young adults, and to test whether these associations vary by academic performance.

METHODS

Data was drawn from the 2019 National School-based Chinese Adolescents Health Survey, and 30,581 undergraduates (mean age: 19.9 [SD: 1.6] years) completed standard questionnaires qualifiedly. Daily hours of Internet use, PIU, emotional and behavioral problems, and academic performance were measured.

RESULTS

After adjusting for control variables and academic performance, students who reported having emotional problems (daily hours: adjusted unstandardized β estimate=0.14, 95% CI=0.12~0.15; PIU: adjusted unstandardized β estimate=1.82, 95% CI=1.77~1.89), conduct problems (daily hours: adjusted unstandardized β estimate=0.12, 95% CI=0.09~0.15; PIU: adjusted unstandardized β estimate=1.76, 95% CI=1.67~1.84), hyperactivity (daily hours: adjusted unstandardized β estimate=0.08, 95% CI=0.06~0.12; PIU: adjusted unstandardized β estimate=1.46, 95% CI=1.38~1.54), and peer problems (daily hours: adjusted unstandardized β estimate=0.03, 95% CI=0.002~0.05; PIU: adjusted unstandardized β estimate=0.53, 95% CI=0.44~0.62) were more likely to engaged in prolonged daily Internet use and PIU. In contrast, prosocial behavior was negatively associated with Internet use time and PIU. Stratified analyses showed that some of the associations in poor academic performers were stronger than in students with good and average academic performance.

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design limited the ability to make causal inferences.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that the efforts to prevent abnormal Internet use should be focused on students with emotional and behavioral problems or poor academic performance.

The Influence of Internet Usage Frequency on Women's Fertility Intentions-The Mediating Effects of Gender Role Attitudes

The purpose of this study is to verify the influence of internet usage frequency on women's fertility intentions and to examine the mediating effects of gender role attitudes, under the influence of internet usage frequency that affects women's fertility intentions, combined with the specific Chinese cultural context. A cross-sectional secondary data analysis was conducted using a sample of 3113 women of childbearing age in the Chinese General Social Survey in 2017 (CGSS2017). The results of the negative binomial regression model showed that, under the premise of controlling individual characteristic variables, the higher the frequency of internet usage, the lower the fertility intention (p < 0.01). The results of the mediating effect model show that the more frequently women use the internet, the lower their fertility intentions, and the less they agree with Chinese traditional gender roles, which are "men work outside to support the family while women stay at home to take care of the family". These findings have implications in formulating public policies aimed at increasing the fertility rate; that is, it is not enough to increase women's fertility intentions under China's universal two-child policy. Moreover, public policy formulators need to consider gender role attitudes and the influence of the internet as a method for dissemination of information.

School-based relationships and problematic internet use amongst Chinese students

The potential for adolescent mental health problems arising from heavy internet use is significant. There is a need to better understand the risk and protective factors related to problematic internet use (PIU) amongst adolescents. This study examined the role of adolescents’ perceptions of school-based relationships as potential contextual antecedents to problematic internet use. Specifically, 6552 adolescent students (55.9% boys, 13.51 ± 2. 93 years) from 22 primary and middle schools in southern China completed questionnaires to measure the degree of adolescent conflict with peers, teachers and other staff, school connectedness, perceived classroom atmosphere and problematic internet use. Self-reported data was collected using a two-level stratified sampling. Multiple regression analyses showed that conflict with peers and teachers was positively associated with higher levels of PIU, while school connectedness and perceived classroom atmosphere were negatively associated with PIU. An interaction effect was found for conflict with peers and grade level, such that the association between conflict with peers and PIU was stronger for secondary students compared to primary school students. The results support the need for school-based interventions for PIU to include a focus on conflict with peers and teachers, and for a focus on the enhancement of school connectedness and classroom atmosphere.

A longitudinal study of weight and shape concerns and disordered eating groups by gender and their relationship to self-control

PURPOSE

Weight/shape concerns and disordered eating are common among young adults. Minimal research has examined these variables longitudinally by gender and in connection to self-control. The present study examined the level of weight/shape concerns and disordered eating at the end of the first and fourth year of college separately by gender and explored differences in self-control.

METHODS

Participants included 394 female and 157 male undergraduates (N = 551; 40% non-white) who were categorized into three groups using a cluster analysis by gender: low weight/shape concerns and low disordered eating (LowWS-LowDE group), high weight/shape concerns and low disordered eating (HighWS-LowDE group), and high weight/shape concerns and high disordered eating (HighWS-HighDE group).

RESULTS

Approximately, 62% of women and 54% of men reported having weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating at the end of the first year of college, and around 51% of women and 44% of men reported having weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating at the end of the fourth year. Results indicated that those in the HighWS-HighDE group had lower self-control compared to those in the LowWS-LowDE group at the end of the first and fourth year in both women and men. Women, but not men, who worsened in weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating over time also reported significantly decreased self-control from their first to their fourth year.

CONCLUSION

Findings support the role of self-control in the maintenance of weight/shape concerns and disordered eating for both women and men.

LEVEL III

Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

Reply Speed as Nonverbal Cue in Text Messaging with a Read Receipt Display Function

In text messaging via mobile devices, many users face pressure to rapidly exchange messages. This study investigates reply speeds in smartphone messaging, focusing on messaging with a read receipt function, which notifies the sender of whether the recipient has read a sent message. Using a questionnaire targeting 213 female college students in Japan, we investigate the time until negative emotions (sadness, anxiety, anger and guilt) which occur while waiting for a reply. The authors also address factors of messaging dependency, and find that negative emotions arise in significantly less time when waiting for a reply to a read message than an unread one. Further, most negative emotions occur significantly earlier in high-dependency groups than in low-dependency groups when waiting for a reply in either status. These effects differed in part depending on the type of emotion and recipient. The authors discuss these findings in the context of reply speed as a nonverbal cue.

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale in Four Forms and Eight Languages

The 14-item Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) is one of the most frequently internationally adapted psychometric instruments developed to assess generalized problematic Internet use. Multiple adaptations of this instrument have led to versions in different languages (e.g., Arabic and French), and different numbers of items (e.g., from 5 to 16 items instead of the original 14). However, to date, the CIUS has never been simultaneously compared and validated in several languages and different versions. Consequently, the present study tested the psychometric properties of four CIUS versions (i.e., CIUS-14, CIUS-9, CIUS-7, and CIUS-5) across eight languages (i.e., German, French, English, Finnish, Spanish, Italian, Polish, and Hungarian) to (a) examine their psychometric properties, and (b) test their measurement invariance. These analyses also identified the optimal versions of the CIUS. The data were collected via online surveys administered to 4,226 voluntary participants from 15 countries, aged at least 18 years, and recruited from academic environments. All brief versions of the CIUS in all eight languages were validated. Dimensional, configural, and metric invariance were established across all languages for the CIUS-5, CIUS-7, and CIUS-9, but the CIUS-5 and CIUS-7 were slightly more suitable because their model fitted the ordinal estimate better, while for cross-comparisons, the CIUS-9 was slightly better. The brief versions of the CIUS are therefore reliable and structurally stable instruments that can be used for cross-cultural research across adult populations.

Motives for Instagram Use and Topics of Interest among Young Adults

Instagram is currently the most popular social media app among young people around the world. More than 70% of people between the ages of 12 and 24 are Instagram users. The research framework of this study was constructed based on smartphone addiction and the uses and gratifications theory. We used 27 question items divided into five factors, namely social interaction, documentation, diversion, self-promotion, and creativity, to investigate the motives for Instagram use and topics of interest among university students in Taiwan. A total of 307 valid questionnaires were obtained. The results revealed that on the whole, the motives for Instagram use were mostly to look at posts, particularly involving social interaction and diversion motives. The level of agreement expressed toward motives for creating posts was lower. Gender, professional training background, and level of addiction to Instagram all exert influence on motives for Instagram use. Over half of the students majoring in design followed artisans and celebrities (including designers), and female students noticed ads on Instagram more than male students did.

Excessive internet use in young women: What are the implications?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

There are considerable gender differences in youth engaging in excessive internet use (EIU). This review provides updates based on the recent literature focusing on the EIU in young women to describe its implications including what it constitutes of, its correlates, sequelae and preventive and/or treatment strategies.

RECENT FINDINGS

Definition of EIU and its conceptualization still requires refinement. Recent studies indicate a changing trend towards female predominance of EIU. Women also differ in their internet use compared with men regarding their preference in the internet content and online activities, motives of use and factors related to access to the internet, including the device, sociocultural restrictions, etc. The correlates and sequelae of EIU encompass psychological, physical, biological, family and social domains that could form the basis of identifying individuals at risk and strategizing treatment.

SUMMARY

The findings indicate the need for standardization in definition and measures of EIU for better recognition of EIU and identification of its at-higher-risk females. Effective preventive and treatment measures are still limited by various methodology flaws outlined here.