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Longitudinal associations between problematic Internet use, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents

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Abstract

Problematic Internet use (PIU) has a negative impact on self-esteem among adolescents, thereby making them be vulnerable to developing depressive symptoms. However, there is a lack of longitudinal studies focusing on the process. This study aimed to explore the longitudinal associations between PIU, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. A total of 1,736 adolescents completed this longitudinal study. The baseline survey was conducted in 2019, and the follow-up surveys were performed at 1-year and 2-year later. PIU, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms were measured. A cascade model was used to examine the longitudinal associations between PIU, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. The mean age of participants was 13.6 (1.5) years at baseline. The final results observed significant within-time associations between PIU, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms at each time point. PIU and low level of self-esteem could predict subsequent depressive symptoms among adolescents, and depressive symptoms were also associated with subsequent PIU and self-esteem. Both PIU and self-esteem show bidirectional predictions with depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents. Schools and parents should give more attention to adolescents prone to developing depressive symptoms and more social support to reduce their negative emotions. Health-related professionals should incorporate practical knowledge and skills into the education of adolescents to help them better control Internet use, attenuating the risk of future depressive symptoms.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 81761128030; 81903339); Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Grant no. 2019A1515011091). The authors express great thanks to everyone who participated in this project.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 81761128030; 81903339), Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Grant no. 2019A1515011091), and the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou (Grant no. 202102020136).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, 74 Zhongshan Rd 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China

    Wenjian Lai, Wanxin Wang, Xiuwen Li, Hongqiong Wang, Ciyong Lu & Lan Guo

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  1. Wenjian Lai
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  2. Wanxin Wang
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  3. Xiuwen Li
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  4. Hongqiong Wang
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  5. Ciyong Lu
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  6. Lan Guo
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Contributions

The longitudinal study was originally conceived and designed by C-YL and LG. Investigation and data collection were performed by WL, WW, XL, and HW. Data analysis was performed by WL and WW. The first draft of the manuscript was written by WL, with a number of edits from CL and LG. All authors were in agreement with the final submitted manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lan Guo.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

The research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and obtained ethical approval from Sun Yat-sen University, School of Public Health Institutional Review Board (Ethics Number: L2017060).

Consent to participate

After the intention and procedure of this study had been fully explained in detail, written informed consent was obtained from each participating student and one of their parents or legal guardians.

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Not applicable.

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Lai, W., Wang, W., Li, X. et al. Longitudinal associations between problematic Internet use, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32, 1273–1283 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-022-01944-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-022-01944-5

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