Abstract

Internet addiction is associated with a range of psychological risk factors such as childhood trauma and depression. Studies have also suggested sex differences in internet and other behavioral addictions. However, it remains unclear how childhood trauma, depression and internet addiction inter-relate differently between the sexes. A total of 1749 adolescents and young adults aged 12–27 participated in a survey of sociodemographic characteristics and standardized assessments to evaluate internet addiction (Internet Addiction Test), childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory). Mediation and path analyses were used to examine the relationship between childhood trauma, depression and internet addiction. Internet-addicted females relative to males showed more severe depression but the control participants showed the opposite. Childhood trauma was associated with depression for both internet-addicted males and females; however, internet-addicted females but not males showed significant associations between depression and the severity of internet addiction as well as between childhood trauma and the severity of internet addiction. Further, in females, depression mediated the correlations between all types of childhood trauma and the severity of internet addiction. A path analysis suggested that sexual abuse and emotional neglect contributed most significantly to internet addiction when all types of childhood trauma were examined in one model. The findings suggest sex differences in the relationship between childhood trauma, depression and internet addiction. Childhood trauma contributes to internet addiction through depression only in females. The findings may guide future prevention and intervention strategies of internet addiction.

Highlights

  • We examined sex differences in the relationship between childhood trauma, depression and the severity of internet addiction among Chinese adolescents and young adults

  • Internet-addicted females showed more severe depression compared with internet-addicted males but the control males showed more severe depression compared with the control females

  • Depression mediated the correlations between all types of childhood trauma when modeled separately as well as the severity of internet addiction in females

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Summary

Introduction

Internet addiction is defined as the “inability to control internet using, leading to physical, psychological and social difficulties” and is growing in prevalence and severity [1]. The prevalence rate of internet addiction among adolescents and young adults has increased from 1.6% in 2005 [2] to 6.7% in 2010 [3], 10.6% in 2015 [4] and 28.6% in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 [5,6]. Since the first diagnosis by Young [7] in 1995, internet addiction has received more clinical attention, among adolescents and young adults who have spent significantly more time on smartphones and tablets. Drug addiction distinctly involves physical dependence [13], behavioral addiction—including internet addiction—shares many of the psychological manifestations including craving and withdrawal [14,15]

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