Internet addiction and psychological distress among Chinese schoolchildren before and during the COVID-19 outbreak: A latent class analysis

Abstract

Background and aims The present longitudinal study examined the changes in problematic internet use (problematic smartphone use, problematic social media use, and problematic gaming) and changes in COVID-19-related psychological distress (fear of COVID-19 and worry concerning COVID-19) across three time-points (before the COVID-19 outbreak, during the initial stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, and during the COVID-19 outbreak recovery period). Methods A total of 504 Chinese schoolchildren completed measures concerning problematic internet use and psychological distress across three time-points. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to classify participants into three groups of problematic internet use comprising Group 1 (lowest level), Group 2 (moderate level), and Group 3 (highest level). Results Statistical analyses showed that as problematic use of internet-related activities declined among Group 3 participants across the three time points, participants in Group 1 and Group 2 had increased problematic use of internet-related activities. Although there was no between-group difference in relation to worrying concerning COVID-19 infection, Groups 2 and 3 had significantly higher levels of fear of COVID-19 than Group 1 during the COVID-19 recovery period. Regression analysis showed that change in problematic internet use predicted fear of COVID-19 during the recovery period. Conclusion The varied levels of problematic internet use among schoolchildren reflect different changing trends of additive behaviors during COVID-19 outbreak and recovery periods.

Fear of COVID-19 and its association with mental health-related factors: systematic review and meta-analysis

“…psychological distress) during the COVID-19 pandemic have been high. [13][14][15][16][17] Moreover, one of the primary triggers for mental health problems during this period is fear of COVID-19. 18 More specifically, COVID-19 is a new type of infection, and different stakeholders (including governments, healthcare providers, policy makers and scientists) require information and data to help fight the consequences of the disease.…”

Psychological Distress and Protective Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Different Populations: Hong Kong General Population, Taiwan Healthcare Workers, and Taiwan Outpatients

“…Although COVID-19 vaccines have been rapidly developed and implemented (4), concerns over vaccine uptake (5)(6)(7)(8) and their efficacy against the emerging COVID-19 variants (9, 10) may hamper the progress toward herd immunity and recovery from COVID-19. Consequently, the psychological distress caused by the COVID-19 (11)(12)(13)(14) is unlikely to be resolved in a short period of time. Indeed, several estimations suggest that the virus will not be under control shortly (15,16).…”

Effectiveness of using calligraphic activity to treat people with schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial in Southern Taiwan

“…First, part of the current study period overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that COVID-19 pandemic increased psychological distress across different populations, including people with schizophrenia, 31 – 41 the nonsignificant findings on emotions in the present study may relate in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, our GEE model suggested a trend improvement in emotional concerns at follow-up compared with baseline measures, although improvement effects were similar between groups receiving the calligraphy activity and TAU.…”

“…More specifically, the effects of the pandemic on psychological health have been widely documented. 31 – 41 Therefore, it is possible that the nonsignificant findings in improvement in emotional concerns are confounded by the impacts of the pandemic. Indeed, our RCT showed a trend of improvement in emotional concerns among participants who received calligraphy activity and completed assessments before the COVID-19 outbreak.…”