Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, China.
School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, China.
Addict Behav. 2024 Sep;156:108057. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108057. Epub 2024 May 10.
Problematic internet use (PIU) and depression usually co-occur and are common among college students. According to network theory, it may be attributed to the interplay of symptoms that connect these two mental health problems. However, most studies have failed to examine complex and subtle connections at the symptom level and have not clarified how PIU and depression symptoms are intercorrelated, which symptoms serve as the source of comorbidity (i.e., the central symptoms), and whether such a comorbidity mechanism would change with higher grades. To explore these questions, this study examined four contemporaneous networks and three cross-lagged panel networks, visualizing the symptoms as nodes and the connections between symptoms as edges. A total of 2,420 college students (M = 18.35, SD = 0.84; 67.98 % girls) completed four annual surveys. Overall, the results of contemporaneous networks and cross-lagged panel networks indicated that (a) PIU and depression symptoms are intercorrelated; (b) the core symptoms responsible for comorbidity mostly belonged to PIU, and (c) the comorbidity mechanism would change with time. These findings explain the dynamic relation between PIU and depression and identify possible primary symptoms that comorbidity programs can mitigate at different stages of the college years.
网络成瘾（PIU）和抑郁通常同时发生，在大学生中很常见。根据网络理论，这可能归因于连接这两种心理健康问题的症状相互作用。然而，大多数研究未能检查症状层面上复杂和微妙的联系，也没有阐明 PIU 和抑郁症状是如何相互关联的，哪些症状是共病的根源（即核心症状），以及这种共病机制是否会随着年级的升高而改变。为了探讨这些问题，本研究检验了四个同期网络和三个交叉滞后面板网络，将症状视为节点，将症状之间的连接视为边。共有 2420 名大学生（M=18.35，SD=0.84；67.98%为女生）完成了四次年度调查。总体而言，同期网络和交叉滞后面板网络的结果表明：（a）PIU 和抑郁症状相互关联；（b）导致共病的核心症状主要属于 PIU；（c）共病机制会随时间而变化。这些发现解释了 PIU 和抑郁之间的动态关系，并确定了共病计划可以在大学期间的不同阶段减轻的可能主要症状。
