Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41782013›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2026

Negative life events and problematic Internet use among Chinese junior high school students: a mediation model.

Yaqi Lei, Yuxiao Chen, Haiyang Feng, Yuxuan Shi, Qiurui Yu, Clifford Silver Tarimo, Yinmei Yang

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Article in BMC psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Yaqi Lei *School of Politics and Public Administration, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Yuxiao Chen *School of Politics and Public Administration, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Haiyang FengCollege of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Road, Gaoxin district, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
Yuxuan ShiWuhan Foreign Languages School, Wuhan, China.
Qiurui YuCollege of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Road, Gaoxin district, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
Clifford Silver TarimoCollege of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Road, Gaoxin district, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
Yinmei YangCollege of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Road, Gaoxin district, Zhengzhou, 450001, China. yym2022@zzu.edu.cn.

Funding

National Social Science Fund of China 25CSH070the Humanities and Social Science Research in Henan Province 2024CJY081the Humanities and Social Sciences Youth Foundation, Ministry of Education, China 23YJC790010the Humanities and Social Sciences Youth Foundation, Ministry of Education, China 24YJCZH385the Social Sciences Federation in Henan Province SKL-2025-286the Soft Science Research Program Project in Henan Province 252400410582the Undergraduate Innovation Training Project of Zhengzhou University 202510459066
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough negative life events have been recognized as a risk factor for Problematic Internet use (PIU), the mechanisms explaining this link remain underexplored. Therefore, this study investigated the association between negative life events and PIU, as well as the underlying mediators.

methodsWe recruited 8176 (Mage = 14.42 years, SD = 0.94) junior high school students using stratified random cluster sampling from Henan Province, China, in 2023. We tested a mediation model that included the negative life events (predictor variable), parent-child cohesion and school connectedness (mediators), and PIU (outcome variable) simultaneously.

resultsThe detection rate of PIU was 19.37%. Negative life events were positively related to PIU among junior high school students (β = 0.385, p < 0.001). Parent-child cohesion (β = 0.036, 95%CI: 0.030 ~ 0.044) and school connectedness (β = 0.051, 95%CI: 0.042 ~ 0.059) mediated the relationship between negative life events and PIU. Moreover, the sequential mediating effect was observed for parent-child cohesion to school connectedness (β = 0.015, 95%CI: 0.012 ~ 0.017).

conclusionsInterventions designed to strengthen parent-child cohesion and enhance school connectedness may help mitigate the adverse impact of negative life events on PIU.

Indexed as

Adolescent BehaviorInternet Addiction DisorderInternet UseLife Change EventsParent-Child RelationsStudentsAdolescentChinaEast Asian PeopleFemaleHumansMaleMediation AnalysisSchoolsJunior high school studentsNegative life eventsParent-child cohesionProblematic Internet useSchool connectedness

Identifiers

PMID41782013
PMCPMC13077814

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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.