Pham Phuong Thu Thi, Thai Truc Thanh, Huynh Ha Khanh Mai, Nguyen Linh Thuy Ngoc, Nguyen An Thu Thi, Duong Mai Huynh Thi, Bui Han Hy Thi
Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
School of Health Science, Western Sydney University, Parramatta, NSW, Australia.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2025 Jun;71(4):642-654. doi: 10.1177/00207640241311856. Epub 2025 Jan 11.
Excessive use of smartphones and the Internet can lead to addiction and may increase the risk of developing mental disorders, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak.
This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized the existing literature reporting the impact of smartphone and Internet addiction on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A systematic search was performed on two databases, PubMed and EMBASE, following the PRISMA guidelines to identify articles conducted from December 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic began to emerge. Studies were selected based on pre-defined criteria and assessed for quality before inclusion in the meta-analysis. The main effect estimate gathered from eligible studies was the odds ratio, which was computed using the random-effects model.
Our findings demonstrated significant associations between Internet addiction and depression (OR = 4.09, 95% CI [3.28, 5.09]), Internet addiction and anxiety (OR = 3.08, 95% CI [2.08, 4.57]), smartphone addiction and depression (OR = 3.82, 95% CI [3.31, 4.40]), and smartphone addiction and anxiety (OR = 4.81, 95% CI [3.81, 6.07]) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This meta-analysis underscores that Internet and smartphone addiction increases the likelihood of developing mental disorders in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the outbreak of infectious diseases, it is imperative for nations to not only address economic and educational challenges but also prioritize the mental well-being of their citizens.
过度使用智能手机和互联网会导致成瘾，并可能增加患精神障碍的风险，尤其是在新冠疫情期间。
本系统评价和荟萃分析综合了现有文献，报告了新冠疫情期间智能手机和互联网成瘾对心理健康的影响。
按照PRISMA指南，在两个数据库PubMed和EMBASE上进行系统检索，以识别2019年12月新冠疫情开始出现时开展的文章。根据预先定义的标准选择研究，并在纳入荟萃分析之前评估其质量。从符合条件的研究中收集的主要效应估计值是比值比，使用随机效应模型计算。
我们的研究结果表明，在新冠疫情期间，互联网成瘾与抑郁（比值比=4.09，95%可信区间[3.28, 5.09]）、互联网成瘾与焦虑（比值比=3.08，95%可信区间[2.08, 4.57]）、智能手机成瘾与抑郁（比值比=3.82，95%可信区间[3.31, 4.40]）以及智能手机成瘾与焦虑（比值比=4.81，95%可信区间[3.81, 6.07]）之间存在显著关联。
这项荟萃分析强调，在新冠疫情背景下，互联网和智能手机成瘾会增加患精神障碍的可能性。在传染病爆发期间，各国不仅要应对经济和教育挑战，还必须优先考虑公民的心理健康。
