Wang Yi, Hall Brian J, Chen Yuran, Chen Chun
School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Center for Global Health Equity, New York University, Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
Addict Behav Rep. 2025 Apr 13;21:100607. doi: 10.1016/j.abrep.2025.100607. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Problematic Internet Use (PIU) has many adverse effects on youth mental health, including heightened risks of depression and anxiety. However, few studies have systematically investigated the internal heterogeneity of PIU symptoms among rural Chinese adolescents. Data was collected from 5,271 rural Chinese adolescents from two secondary schools in Guizhou and Sichuan at two waves. This study aimed to identify PIU profiles at T1 and examine their relationships with subsequent anxiety, depression, and stress after six months at T2.
A Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was conducted to first identify PIU symptom profiles. Then, a "three-step" logistic regression mixed model was conducted to explore the association between PIU patterns and demographic correlates. Anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms collected at the second wave were compared across PIU profiles by using a Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars (BCH) approach.
The study found that (1) The patterns of PIU among rural adolescents could be divided into four subgroups: low PIU group (57.18%), medium PIU group (15.65%), high PIU group (9.01%), and self-blame group (18.16%), which is a uniquely identified group. (2) Being female, an ethnic minority, living off-campus, having left-behind experiences, and having fewer siblings were risk factors for high PIU group membership. (3) The order of severity for anxiety, depression, and stress was as follows: high PIU, medium PIU, self-blame, and low PIU groups. (4) The self-blame group had relatively lower anxiety, depression, and stress scores than the medium PIU group, despite the fact that the self-blame group had higher PIU scores than the medium PIU group, which further strengthens the importance of using a person-centered approach.
Addressing the profiles of PIU is vital for rural Chinese adolescent mental health, necessitating tailored interventions.
网络使用问题（PIU）对青少年心理健康有诸多不利影响，包括抑郁和焦虑风险增加。然而，很少有研究系统地调查中国农村青少年PIU症状的内部异质性。在两个时间点从贵州和四川两所中学的5271名中国农村青少年中收集了数据。本研究旨在确定T1时的PIU概况，并考察它们与T2时六个月后的焦虑、抑郁和压力之间的关系。
首先进行潜在剖面分析（LPA）以确定PIU症状概况。然后，采用“三步”逻辑回归混合模型探讨PIU模式与人口统计学相关因素之间的关联。使用Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars（BCH）方法比较第二阶段收集的焦虑、抑郁和压力症状在不同PIU概况之间的差异。
研究发现：（1）农村青少年的PIU模式可分为四个亚组：低PIU组（57.18%）、中PIU组（15.65%）、高PIU组（9.01%）和自责组（18.16%），自责组是一个独特识别的组。（2）女性、少数民族、校外居住、有留守儿童经历和兄弟姐妹较少是高PIU组成员的危险因素。（3）焦虑、抑郁和压力的严重程度顺序如下：高PIU组、中PIU组、自责组和低PIU组。（4）尽管自责组的PIU得分高于中PIU组，但其焦虑、抑郁和压力得分相对低于中PIU组，这进一步强化了采用以人为本方法的重要性。
关注PIU概况对中国农村青少年心理健康至关重要，需要针对性的干预措施。
