Unit of Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Neurosciences/DIMSC, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar 2;20(5):4446. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20054446.
In recent years, there has been a gradual digitalization of our society, resulting in intensified technology use for daily life activities, including the emergence of problematic Internet use (PIU). Few studies specifically addressed the boredom and loneliness dimensions in mediating the association between depression, anxiety, and stress levels and the onset of PIU. A nationwide population-based cross-sectional case-control study was carried out by recruiting a sample of Italian young people (aged 18-35). Only 1643 participants were selected for the analyses based on the age and the presence versus absence of PIU. Participants were mainly females (68.7%), with a mean age of 21.8 (SD = 1.7). Non-PIU individuals had significantly stable relationships ( = 0.012), siblings ( = 0.044) and lived with their family ( = 0.010), compared to PIU. PIU individuals displayed significantly higher depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as higher loneliness and boredom levels (all < 0.001), compared to non-PIU. Depressive symptomatology predicted PIU and that their interaction is positively double mediated by boredom and loneliness (ß = 0.3829 (0.0245), 95%CI = 0.3349-0.4309). Our findings suggested that boredom and loneliness dimensions could act as mediators in the association between depressive symptomatology and the likelihood of PIU onset and maintenance.
近年来，我们的社会逐渐实现了数字化，日常生活活动中技术的使用也日益加剧，包括出现了有问题的互联网使用（PIU）。很少有研究专门探讨无聊和孤独维度在调节抑郁、焦虑和压力水平与 PIU 发病之间的关联中的作用。通过招募意大利年轻人（18-35 岁）的样本，进行了一项全国性的基于人群的横断面病例对照研究。只有 1643 名参与者符合年龄和是否存在 PIU 的要求，被纳入分析。参与者主要为女性（68.7%），平均年龄为 21.8（SD = 1.7）。与 PIU 相比，非 PIU 个体具有显著稳定的关系（ = 0.012）、兄弟姐妹（ = 0.044）和与家人同住（ = 0.010）。PIU 个体表现出明显更高的抑郁、焦虑和压力，以及更高的孤独和无聊水平（均<0.001），而非 PIU 个体。抑郁症状预测 PIU，并且它们的相互作用通过无聊和孤独被积极地双重介导（ß = 0.3829（0.0245），95%CI = 0.3349-0.4309）。我们的研究结果表明，无聊和孤独维度可以作为抑郁症状与 PIU 发病和维持之间关联的中介。
