Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health & Aristogenics, China.
BMC Public Health. 2011 Oct 14;11:802. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-802.
Problematic 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.
A 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.
Approximately 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.
PIU 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.
网络成瘾问题在我国青少年中日益严重。目前，人们对网络成瘾与青少年身心健康之间的关系知之甚少。本研究旨在调查中国青少年网络成瘾的流行情况，并检验网络成瘾与青少年身心症状和生活满意度之间的关系。
采用横断面调查方法，对中国 8 个城市的 17599 名学生进行了大规模的代表性抽样调查。采用 20 项青年网络成瘾测试（YIAT）评估网络成瘾。采用青少年多维亚健康问卷和多维学生生活满意度量表获得身心症状和生活满意度信息。还收集了人口统计学和互联网使用模式。采用 logistic 回归评估网络成瘾对身心症状和生活满意度的影响。
约 8.1%的受试者存在网络成瘾。与正常上网者相比，网络成瘾者更有可能出现身心症状（P<0.001），包括体力不足（P<0.001）、生理功能障碍（P<0.001）、免疫力下降（P<0.001）、情绪症状（P<0.001）、行为症状（P<0.001）和社会适应问题（P<0.001）。网络成瘾者的生活满意度总分及各维度得分均较低（均 P<0.001）。在调整了人口统计学和互联网相关因素后，网络成瘾与身心症状呈正相关，与生活满意度呈负相关。
网络成瘾在我国学生中较为常见，且与身心症状和生活满意度显著相关。需要采取有效措施防止该问题的蔓延，并尽早进行预防网络成瘾对身心症状和生活满意度影响的干预。
