| Background and ObjectivePathological Internet use may make adolescents especially susceptible to Internet addiction symptoms,which then trigger a series of other physical or mental health problems.All of these may have a direct or indirect lasting impact on the individual growth and development of teenagers,which is not conductive to the harmonious development of families and society.Therefore,the study aims to investigate the prevalence of Internet addiction among adolescents in Shenzhen,China,and conduct research from the aspects of sociodemographic characteristics,psychological status,family factors,school factors and health risk behaviors,to comprehensively analyze the influencing factors and paths,which can provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control strategies of Internet addiction.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study.From November 2020 to March 2021,according to the size of the permanent population,the distribution of educational resources and the size of schools,students aged 10～19 from primary schools,middle schools and high schools in ten districts of Shenzhen were selected as the survey objects.Young’s Internet Addiction Test(IAT)was used to assess the symptoms of adolescents’ Internet addiction.And through structured questionnaires,we can obtain the contents of individual sociodemographic characteristics,psychological status,family factors,school factors and health risk behaviors.Then Chi-square test was used to compare the difference between groups,and a binary logistic regression model was established to explore the influencing factors of adolescents’ Internet addiction.The factor analysis of the Internet addiction scale was carried out,and the structural equation model was used to further build a theoretical model between childhood trauma,family function,test anxiety and Internet addiction.Results1.A total of 7047 adolescents were investigated with an average age of(13.39±1.93).The overall prevalence of Internet addiction was 16.7%.2.The risk factors of Internet addiction included gender(OR=1.17,95%CI=1.003-1.369),age(OR=1.67-2.18,95%CI=1.387-2.684),loneliness(OR=1.69-2.89,95%CI=1.296-4.224),family function(OR=1.36-1.61,95%CI=1.142-2.020),emotional abuse(OR=1.60,95%CI=1.257-2.033),sexual abuse(OR=1.82,95%CI=1.309-2.515),academic performance(OR=1.29,95%CI=1.088-1.538),test anxiety(OR=1.98-3.08,95%CI=1.604-3.725),drinking(OR=1.39,95%CI=1.133-1.705),suicidal tendency(OR=1.52,95%CI=1.276-1.815),sexual behavior(OR=2.24,95%CI=1.253-4.012),Internet bullying(OR=1.49,95%CI=1.119-1.976)and the daily Internet usage time on weekends(OR=1.24-5.57,95%CI=1.031-7.344),while the protective factors included emotional neglect(OR=0.77,95%CI=0.635-0.923),relationship with teachers(OR=0.71,95%CI=0.607-0.838)and current physical activities(OR=0.44-0.71,95%CI=0.337-0.857).3.Through the factor analysis,three factors were extracted from the Internet Addiction Test,including withdrawal symptoms and tolerance,time management and performance,social withdrawal and social problems.4.When controlling the variable of family function,childhood trauma indirectly affected Internet addiction through test anxiety,but had no direct effect on Internet addiction.When the variable of family function was not controlled,childhood trauma had a direct affect on Internet addiction,and test anxiety played an important intermediary role between childhood trauma and Internet addiction.DiscussionAdolescents in Shenzhen had a variety of mental health problems,among which the detection rate of Internet addiction was at an intermediate level in China.Some demographic characteristics,psychological factors,family factors,school factors and health risk behaviors may be the risk factors for Internet addiction.Besides,childhood trauma can effect the prevalence of Internet addiction among adolescents both directly and through the mediating effect of test anxiety. |
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