ArticleScandinavian journal of psychology2026
Using the Internet to Cope With Emotional Problems: The Role of Preference of Online Communication in Adolescents Across 18 Countries.
Article in Scandinavian journal of 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.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
For adolescents with emotional problems, internet use can provide coping strategies. These can be maladaptive (e.g., excessive use) or adaptive (e.g., engaging in social online activities). However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying both positive and negative outcomes. This study investigates whether a preference of online communication mediates associations between emotional problems and online coping strategies. Survey data from 14,550 adolescents (ages 11-16, 51% female) across 18 European countries were analyzed using mediation models. Emotional problems were associated with both maladaptive and adaptive strategies, and these effects were partially mediated by preference of online communication. The findings provide further empirical support for the model of compensatory internet use among vulnerable populations and demonstrate that similar mechanisms may underlie seemingly divergent outcomes. Implications include digital mental health interventions tailored to vulnerable youth and guidance for schools, families, and online platform providers to foster adaptive internet use whilst mitigating the risks of excessive or maladaptive use.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.