Associations between personality and problematic internet use among Chinese adolescents and young adults: A network analysis

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders Vol. 365; pp. 501 - 508
• Main Authors: Yu, Yebo, Wu, Yibo, Chen, Ping, Min, Hewei, Sun, Xinying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.11.2024
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents and young adults; Adult; China - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; East Asian People; Female; Gender difference; Humans; Internet - statistics & numerical data; Internet Addiction Disorder - epidemiology; Internet Addiction Disorder - psychology; Internet Use - statistics & numerical data; Male; Network analysis; Personality; Personality traits; Problematic internet use; Sex Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult; China; Adolescents and young adults; Network analysis; Problematic internet use; Personality traits; Gender difference
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.069

With the number of internet users booming, problematic internet use (PIU) has become a public health threat. This study aims to figure out the inter-relationships between PIU symptoms and personality traits with network-based analysis among young people and to discuss the gender difference in the above networks. Based on a national cross-sectional study in 2022, 4655 Chinese adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 25 were included. We adopted the 6-item Short-Form Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ-SF-6) and the 10-item version of the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) to measure PIU and personality traits, respectively. Network analysis was used to identify influential nodes and edges and compare the network models between male and female participants. The mean age of 4655 participants was 19.84, and 52.1 % (2424) of them were females. There are differences in age and gender between participants with and without PIU (P < 0.05). The network of personality and PIU showed that 22 out of the 28 edges were estimated to be nonzero, and “obsession-neuroticism” was the strongest positive edge between the two communities. Central symptoms (i.e., “obsession” and “control disorder”) and bridge symptoms (i.e., “obsession” and “neuroticism”) have been identified. Gender differences existed in network global strength: female = 3.71, male = 3.18 (p < 0.001). The cross-sectional study needs more evidence to build causal inference. The results of PIU-personality networks may contribute to the personalized prevention and treatment of PIU. The gender difference in PIU-personality networks also requires more attention and discussion. •“Obsession-neuroticism” was the strongest edge between PIU and personality groups.•“Obsession” has the highest strength and bridge strength in the whole network.•Females have a denser PIU-personality network structure than males.