The Role of Peer Support in the Growth Trajectory of Pathological Internet Use Among Youth: A Protective Factor

Choo, Hyekyung; Chng, Grace S.; Gentile, Douglas A.; Lau, Stephanie

doi:10.1089/cyber.2020.0054

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Unexpectedly, among left-behind students with single-parent migration in intact families, the association between anxiety and IA intensified with high social support, despite a lower incidence of IA compared to low-support conditions. Though this finding diverges from prior research positing social support’s related role [ 85 , 86 ], perceived social support has been demonstrated to positively associate with IA [ 87 ]. The aforementioned result could be derived from this population, with one parent out-migrating for work yet in a harmonious parental relationship, encountering childhood adversity with insufficient coping mechanisms.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

The association between anxiety and internet addiction among left-behind secondary school students: the moderating effect of social support and family types

Miao,

Xu,

Gao

et al. 2024

BMC Psychiatry

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Background The left-behind children (LBC), children and adolescents aged 0–18 whose parents have migrated for economic purposes for extended periods exceeding three months, present a unique social concern. These children remain in their place of household registration, often under the guardianship of relatives, while receiving compulsory education. LBC with growing Internet addiction (IA) have made it urgent to take a close look at the mechanisms and effective interventions for them. Anxiety has been proven to be correlated with IA in adolescents; however, the mechanisms of addiction in this population are less well-fully grasped. Based on the current theories and empirical results, the study examined whether and how social support (SS) and family types moderated the associations between anxiety and IA among left-behind secondary students. Methods Stratified cluster sampling survey. A questionnaire was administered to 5290 secondary school children (2553 classified as left-behind) to explore the relationships between anxiety, IA, left-behind types, family types, and social support. This cross-sectional study employed a stratified cluster sampling survey of students in the ethnic areas of southeast Chongqing. The study sought to appraise the relationships between anxiety and IA in different types of left-behind children and to assess the potential moderating effect of SS on the relationship among the population and its family types differences. Results The relationship between anxiety and IA was moderated significantly by social support and family types. Notably, the impact of social support on the moderating effect between IA and anxiety varied among students from both family types. For students from families where both parents had migrated, social support weakened the association between IA and anxiety. Conversely, for students from single-parent families where the parent had migrated, social support seemed to strengthen the relationships between these two issues. Conclusions The moderating effects of SS on the relationship between anxiety and IA differs based on family type among various groups of left-behind secondary students. Gaining insights into the IA mechanisms can guide the development of targeted intervention strategies aimed at minimizing IA among diverse groups of left-behind students.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

The association between anxiety and internet addiction among left-behind secondary school students: the moderating effect of social support and family types

Miao,

Xu,

Gao

et al. 2024

BMC Psychiatry

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“…First, consistent with prior studies showing that most adolescents exhibit low or no Internet addictive behaviors ( 78 ) and depressive symptoms ( 79 ), we found that the majority of adolescents (70.1%) exhibited low levels of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms and remained healthy (the Health Group) throughout their three-year tenure in junior middle school. Our findings were also in line with previous developmental studies of Internet addiction ( 21 , 22 ) and depressive symptoms ( 26 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Limited studies have examined the heterogeneous growth trajectories of Internet addiction over time ( 21–24 ). These studies identified four to six trajectory subgroups of Internet addiction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Zhou et al ( 24 ) identified four developmental trajectory subgroups of Internet addiction among youth experiencing the Wenchuan earthquake: a slowly rising group, a steadily rising group, a sharply falling group, and a sharply rising group. In another study, a sample of 3,079 Singaporean youth aged 7 to 19 years was longitudinally surveyed four times at one-year intervals, revealing six latent trajectory types across this period based on changes in Internet addiction related to pathological status ( 21 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Zhang,

Wang,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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ObjectiveInternet 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.MethodsUsing 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.ResultsFour 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.ConclusionOur 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.

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“…Peer support, referring to mutual assistance, empathy exchange, and receiving companionship from peers [ 34 ], may improve individuals’ psychological state [ 35 ] and problematic behavior [ 36 ](e.g., SMA [ 36 , 37 ]). Nevertheless, when social media is considered an expansion of social connections to maintain peer relationships and seek peer assistance, peer support may become a trigger for SMA [ 38 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between family functioning and social media addiction among university students: a moderated mediation model of depressive symptoms and peer support

Qi,

Zhao,

Geng

et al. 2024

BMC Psychol

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Background Social media addiction (SMA) is an increasing problem, especially among young adults. Little is known about university students’ SMA and family functioning. This study aimed to explore the mediating effect of depressive symptoms and the moderating effect of peer support in the relationship between family functioning and SMA among young adults. Methods A sample of 1862 Chinese university students completed an online survey including the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Family APGAR, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), peer support, and demographic characteristics. Hierarchical regression and moderated mediation analysis were used to test the effects and pathways among them. Results Of the 1840 participants, 30.11% experienced SMA, 38.80% had family dysfunction and 15.98% had depressive symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression showed better family functioning significantly predicted less SMA (β = -0.26, p < 0.001) and lower depressive symptoms (β = -0.58, p < 0.001), after adjusting for covariates. Mediation analysis verified that depressive symptoms mediated the effect of family functioning on SMA (indirect effect = -0.22, 95%CI[-0.28, -0.17]). Furthermore, the interaction of family functioning and peer support was negatively related to depressive symptoms (β= -0.03, 95% CI[-0.05, -0.01]) and the interaction of depressive symptoms and peer support was positively related to SMA (β = 0.01, 95%CI[0.004, 0.02]). Additional analysis further confirmed that peer support decreased depressive symptoms among young adults from dysfunctional families, and increased SMA behaviors in individuals with depressive symptoms. Conclusion Better family functioning and lower depressive symptoms may contribute to less social media addiction among Chinese university students. Peer support could moderate the mediating role of depressive symptoms on social media addiction in individuals with family dysfunction.

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The Role of Peer Support in the Growth Trajectory of Pathological Internet Use Among Youth: A Protective Factor

Cited by 8 publications

References 21 publications

The association between anxiety and internet addiction among left-behind secondary school students: the moderating effect of social support and family types

The association between anxiety and internet addiction among left-behind secondary school students: the moderating effect of social support and family types

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

The relationship between family functioning and social media addiction among university students: a moderated mediation model of depressive symptoms and peer support

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