Internet addiction of adolescents in China: Prevalence, predictors, and association with well-being

Abstract

Internet addiction is a mental health problem that affects a significant number of people worldwide. Our study attempted to investigate the prevalence of Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents and to explore the predictors of Internet addiction and its association with well-being. A total of 10,988 adolescents from nine different cities in China were surveyed using the Diagnostic Questionnaire (DQ) for Internet addiction, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the Adolescent's Satisfaction with Life Scale. The mean age of the whole sample was 17.2 years (ranging from 13 to 23 years). The prevalence rate of Internet addiction among the surveyed adolescents was 7.5%, which was influenced by gender and grade (χ2 = 74.027, p < 0.001; χ2 = 7.162, p < 0.05). The breadth of extracurricular activities, the age when people used Internet for the first time, and whether people used Internet for the first time in Internet bar were significant predictors of Internet addiction (β = −0.065, p < 0.001; β = −0.101, p < 0.001; β = 0.545, p < 0.001). Finally, our study found evidence demonstrating the link between Internet addiction and well-being. Increased symptoms of problematic use were associated with decreased self-esteem (F = 258.344, p < 0.001), satisfaction with life (F = 232.428, p < 0.001), and increased depression (F = 607.062, p < 0.001).