Internet addiction and psychological distress among Chinese schoolchildren before and during the COVID-19 outbreak: A latent class analysis

• Published in: Journal of behavioral addictions Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 731 - 746
• Main Authors: Chen, I-Hua, Chen, Chao-Ying, Liu, Chieh-hsiu, Ahorsu, Daniel Kwasi, Griffiths, Mark D, Chen, Yu-Pin, Kuo, Yi-Jie, Lin, Chung-Ying, Pakpour, Amir H, Wang, Shu-Mei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hungary Akadémiai Kiadó 01.09.2021; Academic Publishing House; Akademiai Kiado
• Subjects: Analysis; Behaviorism; Child; China - epidemiology; COVID-19; Disease Outbreaks; Elementary school students; Health aspects; Humans; Internet; Internet Addiction Disorder; Latent Class Analysis; Longitudinal Studies; Pathological Internet Use; problematic gaming; problematic smartphone use; problematic social media use; Psychological Distress; SARS-CoV-2; Stress (Psychology); China; Taiwan; problematic social media use; COVID19; problematic smartphone use; psychological distress; problematic gaming; COVID-19
• ISSN: 2062-5871; 2063-5303; 2063-5303
• DOI: 10.1556/2006.2021.00052

Background and aims. The present longitudinal study examined the changes in problematic internet use (problematic smartphone use, problematic social media use, and problematic gaming) and changes in COVID-19-related psychological distress (fear of COVID-19 and worry concerning COVID-19) across three time-points (before the COVID-19 outbreak, during the initial stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, and during the COVID-19 outbreak recovery period). Methods. A total of 504 Chinese schoolchildren completed measures concerning problematic internet use and psychological distress across three time-points. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to classify participants into three groups of problematic internet use comprising Group 1 (lowest level), Group 2 (moderate level), and Group 3 (highest level). Results. Statistical analyses showed that as problematic use of internet-related activities declined among Group 3 participants across the three time points, participants in Group 1 and Group 2 had increased problematic use of internet-related activities. Although there was no between-group difference in relation to worrying concerning COVID-19 infection, Groups 2 and 3 had significantly higher levels of fear of COVID-19 than Group 1 during the COVID-19 recovery period. Regression analysis showed that change in problematic internet use predicted fear of COVID-19 during the recovery period. Conclusion. The varied levels of problematic internet use among schoolchildren reflect different changing trends of additive behaviors during COVID-19 outbreak and recovery periods.