The role of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and school functioning in the association between peer victimization and internet addiction: A moderated mediation model. J Affect Disord 2019 Sep 01;256:125-131
Date
06/09/2019Pubmed ID
31176184DOI
10.1016/j.jad.2019.05.080Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85067032706 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 44 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Both peer victimization and internet addiction are common public health problems for children and adolescents. Several studies found an association between peer victimization and internet addiction, but the mechanism underlying this association remained unclear. This study aimed to determine the mechanisms underlying this association.
METHODS: Data was extracted from an epidemiologic study involving middle and high school adolescents, in which 15,415 individuals (14.6 ± 1.7 years) were recruited. The moderated mediation models were examined using SPSS PROCESS macro 2.16 software, in which the mediation variables were depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, and the moderation variable was school functioning.
RESULTS: The total indirect effect of verbal victimization on internet addiction through depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms was found to be 0.4531, which accounted for 63.7% of the total effect of verbal victimization on internet addiction. Depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms totally mediated the association between relational victimization and internet addiction and the association between the physical victimization and internet addiction. There were gender differences in the mediating effects of depressive and anxiety symptoms on the association between peer victimization and internet addiction. The indirect effect of the three different types of peer victimization (physical, verbal, relational) on internet addiction became stronger as school functioning increased.
LIMITATIONS: We included two mediators in one model, and the data used in this study was self-reported and cross-sectional.
CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms mediate the association between peer victimization and internet addiction. Students who score higher in school functioning were more likely to develop internet addiction when they encounter peer victimization.
Author List
Li X, Luo X, Zheng R, Jin X, Mei L, Xie X, Gu H, Hou F, Liu L, Luo X, Meng H, Zhang J, Song RAuthor
Ling Mei MD Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAnxiety
Behavior, Addictive
Bullying
Child
Crime Victims
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression
Female
Humans
Internet
Male
Peer Group
Schools
Self Report
Sex Factors
Students
