The association between online learning, parents' marital status, and internet addiction among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic period: A cross-lagged panel network approach

Haiqun Niu; Shujian Wang; Yanqiang Tao; Qihui Tang; Liang Zhang; Xiangping Liu

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.096

The association between online learning, parents' marital status, and internet addiction among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic period: A cross-lagged panel network approach

J Affect Disord. 2023 Jul 15:333:553-561. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.096. Epub 2023 Apr 29.

Authors

Haiqun Niu¹, Shujian Wang², Yanqiang Tao³, Qihui Tang³, Liang Zhang⁴, Xiangping Liu⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210024, China.
² Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Beijing 100875, China. Electronic address: 202121061093@mail.bnu.edu.cn.
³ Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Beijing 100875, China.
⁴ College Students' Mental Health Education Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China. Electronic address: zhangliangpsy@neau.edu.cn.
⁵ Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Beijing 100875, China. Electronic address: 89034@bnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37127119
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.096

Abstract

Introduction: Previous research has identified the association between online learning and Internet addiction (IA) and the role of family factors in it. However, few studies have treated IA as a multidimensional mechanism and explored the underlying linkage of online learning, IA, and parental marital status with a cross-lagged network approach. The study aimed to examine the relationship between online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Internet addiction (IA), and parental marital status among Chinese adolescents.

Methods: The sample consisted of 2356 adolescents who completed the Internet Addiction Test twice over a four-month period. Four symptom networks and two cross-lagged panel networks were performed.

Results: The results showed that adolescents from divorced families had a higher prevalence of IA (27 %) compared to those from non-divorced families (17 %). The strongest cross-lagged association was found between "spending more time online" and "preferring the excitement online". In the divorced group, "school grades suffering" had the highest influence, while in the non-divorced group, "anticipation" had the highest influence.

Conclusion: This study highlights the relationship between online learning, IA, and parental divorce and suggests that long-term online learning may contribute to IA, and parental divorce may exacerbate problematic Internet use and increase IA levels.

Keywords: Adolescence; Internet addiction; Longitudinal data; Network approach; Online learning; Parental marital status.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Behavior, Addictive* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Divorce
Education, Distance*
Humans
Internet
Internet Addiction Disorder / epidemiology
Pandemics
Parents