Problematic Internet use in Chinese adolescents and its relation to psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction

Abstract

BackgroundProblematic Internet use (PIU) is a growing problem in Chinese adolescents. Little is known about associations of PIU with physical and psychological health. This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of PIU and to test the relationships between PIU and psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction among adolescents in mainland China.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted comprising a large representative sample of 17 599 students in eight cities of China. PIU was assessed by the 20-item Young Internet Addiction Test (YIAT). The Multidimensional Sub-health Questionnaire of Adolescents and the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale were administered to obtain information on psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction. Demographics and Internet usage patterns were also collected. Logistic regression was used to assess the effects of PIU on psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction.ResultsApproximately 8.1% of subjects showed PIU. Adolescents with PIU were associated with males, high school students, urban, eastern and western areas, upper self-report family economy, service type mostly used for entertainment and relieving loneliness and more frequency of Internet use. Compared with normal Internet users, adolescents with PIU were more likely to suffer from psychosomatic symptoms (P < 0.001), including lack of physical energy (P < 0.001), physiological dysfunction (P < 0.001), weakened immunity (P < 0.001), emotional symptoms (P < 0.001), behavioural symptoms (P < 0.001) and social adaptation problems (P < 0.001). Adolescents with PIU had lower scores on total and all dimensions of life satisfaction (all P < 0.001). Adjusted for the demographic and Internet-related factors, there was positive significant relationship between PIU and psychosomatic symptoms, but negatively related to life satisfaction.ConclusionsPIU is common among Chinese students, and PIU was significantly associated with psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction. Effective measures are needed to prevent the spread of this problem and interventions to prevent the effects of PIU on psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction should be conducted as early as possible.

Internet Addiction: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Research for the Last Decade

“…In addition to the prevalence estimates reported, the studies have found that in adolescents, Internet addiction is associated with the following sociodemographic variables: higher family income levels [61,63], male gender [45, 61-63, 65, 66, 81, 83], female gender [48], being left behind (i.e., abandoned), and migrant [68], living in rural areas [81], being in senior high school, and having a monthly spending over 100 RMB [45]. The discrepancy between findings concerning associations between Internet addiction and gender can possibly be explained by the measures utilised, i.e., Liu et al [48] found that a higher percentage of girls reports excessive usage behaviours, which might be indicative of their increased problem awareness relative to boys.…”

“…A total of seven studies used the IAT for Internet addiction assessment in adolescents and children aged 8 to 24 years [61][62][63][64][65][66][67], with sample sizes ranging from 1,618 [65] to 17,599 participants [63]. Although the same measurement instrument has been used in these studies, various cut-offs have been applied to demarcate addiction or excessive use across studies.…”

Internet addiction in adolescents: Prevalence and risk factors

“…Cross-sectional pen-and-paper survey Modified Minnesota Impulsive Disorder Inventory (Grant et al, 2005), endorsing craving, withdrawal, and abstinence attempts simultaneously indicates problematic Internet use 4% with problematic Internet use Cao et al (2011) To investigate the prevalence of problematic Internet use (PIU) and its relationships with psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction among adolescents in mainland China N = 17,599 adolescents in China sampled via stratified cluster sampling in schools (mean age = 16.1 years) School-based cross-sectional survey Young's Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1999), scoring >50/100 indicates addiction 8.1% with problematic Internet use Park et al (2008) To explore relations between risk and protective factors and Internet among adolescents in South Korea N = 903 middle and high school students in South Korea (60.5% middle school seniors, 39.5% high school students (12.4% freshman, 27.1% juniors)) randomly selected from schools in Seoul Cross-sectional pen-and-paper survey Modified Young's Internet Addiction Scale (IAS) (1998), scoring ≥70 indicates addiction 10.7% addicted Müller et al (2012) To explore Internet addiction prevalence in a clinical context in Germany N = 81 child and adolescent psychiatric patients in Germany (mean age = 13.6 years)…”

The Problematic Internet Entertainment Use Scale for Adolescents: Prevalence of Problem Internet Use in Spanish High School Students

“…Third, the problem user could be categorized by combining two common types of user that cause concern, namely the at-risk and addicted populations. 34,44,57,62 Fourth, one could select dependent and nondependent individuals using the mean (M) -½ standard deviation (SD). 32 Finally, the categorization could be obtained through multivariate statistical analyses, such as cluster analysis.…”