ArticleFrontiers in public health2025
Problematic internet use and aggression in Chinese middle school students: mediation effect of reality social connectedness.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Social Connectedness Buffering the Interaction Between Problematic Internet Use and Psychopathological Symptoms Among Adolescents: Undirected and Bayesian Network Analyses.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Problematic generative AI use and mental health risks among Chinese university students: latent profiles, network structure, and health literacy as a modifiable resource.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
Introduction: Problematic internet use (PIU) has become a prevalent concern worldwide and is associated with increased aggression. However, the underlying effect of PIU on aggression remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential influence of reality social connectedness (RSC) on the relationship between PIU and aggression. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from a large survey conducted among middle school students in four provinces of China between September 2022 and March 2023. PIU, RSC, and aggression were assessed using Young's 20-item Internet Addiction Test (IAT-20), the modified Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (SCS-R), and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), respectively. Results: We found that students who experienced PIU had significantly higher scores on the BPAQ, which reflects the aggression levels, compared to students without PIU. Specifically, all four dimensions of aggression-verbal aggression, physical aggression, hostility, and anger-were elevated in the PIU group. Additionally, RSC was significantly reduced among individuals with PIU. Notably, RSC significantly mediated the relationship between PIU and aggression, accounting for 18.89% of the total effect. Among the four dimensions of aggression, the mediating effect of RSC was strongest for hostility, followed by anger and physical aggression, with the weakest observed for verbal aggression. Discussion: RSC significantly mediated the relationship between PIU and aggression, suggesting that reduced RSC partially explains how PIU exacerbates aggression. This result highlights the importance of fostering RSC as a strategy to reduce aggression related to PIU.
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