SynthesisBMC public health2024
Relationship between loneliness and internet addiction: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The association between internet-use-disorder symptoms and loneliness: a systematic review and meta-analysis with a categorical approach.Psychological medicine · 2025Pooled it
- [Geriatric medicine shapes the Future : Recommendations for modern Geriatric Medicine that places older people and their needs at the centre].Zeitschrift fur Gerontologie und Geriatrie · 2026Review
- Reciprocal Within-Person Dynamics Between Internet Gaming Disorder Symptoms, Physical Activity, and Loneliness Among Chinese Adolescent Gamers: Three-Wave Prospective Cohort Study.JMIR serious games · 2026Article
- Non-suicidal self-injury ideation among Chinese secondary vocational and junior college students: a latent profile analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Association between depression, anxiety and loneliness with internet addictions among public university students in Malaysia.BMJ open · 2026Article
- College students' life stress and internet addiction: the roles of loneliness and physical exercise.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Demographic and Behavioral Correlates of Social Media Addiction and Loneliness Among Young Adults in Kyrgyzstan.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Association between Problematic Internet and Mobile Phone Use, autistic traits, and psychological distress among adults: A cross-sectional survey.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- Mobile phone dependency and subclinical depressive-anxiety symptom co-occurrence in college students: a cross-lagged panel network analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Investigating the Relationship between Loneliness, Physical Activity, and Internet Addiction: The Mediating Role of Academic Burnout and Self-Control.Iranian journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Rejection Sensitivity and Problematic Internet Use Among Medical Students: A Moderated Mediation Model Involving Loneliness and Self-Control.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- From lonely to addicted: exploring sex differences in the effect of online social support among university students in Hong Kong.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- The role of loneliness and self-concept clarity in the relationship between problematic mobile social network usage and social anxiety among college students.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn the digital age, the Internet has become integrated into all aspects of people's work, study, entertainment, and other activities, leading to a dramatic increase in the frequency of Internet use. However, excessive Internet use has negative effects on the body, psychology, and many other aspects. This study aims to systematically analyze the research findings on the relationship between loneliness and Internet addiction to obtain a more objective, comprehensive effect size.
methodsThis study employed a comprehensive meta-analysis of empirical research conducted over the past two decades to investigate the relationship between loneliness and Internet addiction, with a focus on the moderating variables influencing this relationship. This meta-analysis adopted a unique approach by categorizing moderating variables into two distinct groups: the objective characteristics of research subjects and the subjective characteristics of researchers. It sheds light on the multifaceted factors that influence the relationship between loneliness and Internet addiction.
resultsA literature search in web of science yielded 32 independent effect sizes involving 35,623 subjects. Heterogeneity testing indicated that a random effects model was appropriate. A funnel plot and Begg and Mazumdar's rank correlation test revealed no publication bias in this meta-analysis. Following the effect size test, it was evident that loneliness was significantly and positively correlated with Internet addiction (r = 0.291, p < 0.001). The moderating effect analysis showed that objective characteristics significantly affected the relationship. However, subjective characteristics did not affect the relationship.
conclusionsThe study revealed a moderately positive correlation between loneliness and Internet addiction. Moreover, this correlation's strength was found to be influenced by various factors, including gender, age, grade, and the region of the subjects. However, it was not affected by variables such as the measurement tool, research design, or research year (whether before or after COVID-19).
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.