Mobile phone addiction and non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents in China

Rui Wang; Runxu Yang; Hailiang Ran; Xiufeng Xu; Guangya Yang; TianLan Wang; Yusan Che; Die Fang; Jin Lu; Yuanyuan Xiao

doi:10.7717/peerj.14057

Mobile phone addiction and non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents in China

PeerJ. 2022 Oct 17:10:e14057. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14057. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Rui Wang^#^{1

2}, Runxu Yang^#^{1

2}, Hailiang Ran³, Xiufeng Xu^{1

2}, Guangya Yang⁴, TianLan Wang⁴, Yusan Che⁴, Die Fang⁴, Jin Lu^{1

2}, Yuanyuan Xiao³

Affiliations

¹ Psychiatric Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
² Yunnan Clinical Research Center for Mental Health, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
³ Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
⁴ Psychiatric Department, Lincang Psychiatric Hospita, Lincang, Yunnan, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has recently widely discussed. Independently, mobile phone addiction (MPA) has also attracted academic attention. A few research have examined the correlation between the two. However, there is inadequate knowledge to characterize this relationship altogether. This study further explores the correlation between MPA and NSSI, specifically repeated and severe NSSI.

Method: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,719 adolescents in Lincang, Yunnan. The mobile phone addiction index (MPAI) and the Modified Adolescents Self-Harm Survey (MASHS) were administered in combination. The connection between the MPAI and NSSI, as well as both repeated and severe NSSI, was studied using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. (The copyright holders have permitted the authors to use the MPAI and the MASHS).

Results: The prevalence of NSSI was 47.11% (95% CI [36.2-58.0%]), and the detection rate of MPA was 11.11% (95% CI [6.7-18.0%]). The prevalence of NSSI among those with MPA was 4.280 times (95% CI [3.480-5.266]) that of respondents not exhibiting MPA. In addition, all subscales of the MPAI, except for the feeling anxious and lost subscale (FALS), were positively correlated with NSSI. Risk factors, represented by odds ratios, of repeated NSSI with the inability to control cravings subscale (ICCS), the FALS, and the withdrawal and escape subscale (WES) was 1.052 (95% CI [1.032-1.072]), 1.028 (95% CI [1.006-1.051]), and 1.048 (95% CI [1.019-1.078]) respectively. Risk factors of these same three subscales for severe NSSI, had odds ratios of 1.048 (95% CI [1.029-1.068]), 1.033 (95% CI [1.009-1.057]), and 1.045 (95% CI [1.018-1.073]).

Conclusion: MPA was shown to be a risk factor for NSSI in adolescents. Individuals with high scores on the ICCS, the WES, and the FALS were more prone to experience repeated and severe NSSI. As a result, early assessment using the MPAI to determine the need for intervention can contribute to the prediction and prevention of NSSI.

Keywords: Adolescents; Mobile phone addiction; NSSI; Repeated NSSI; Severe NSSI.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
China / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emotions
Humans
Self-Injurious Behavior* / epidemiology
Technology Addiction

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Yunnan Health Training Projects of Highly Level Talents (D-2017048), the Scientific Research Fund Project of Yunnan Provincial Department of Education (2018JS198), the Yunnan Applied Basic Research Projects-Kunming Medical University Union Foundation (2018FE001(-132)), the Top Young Talents of Yunnan Ten Thousand Talents Plan (YNWR-QNBJ-2018-286). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.