Impulsivity, Social Support and Depression Are Associated With Latent Profiles of Internet Addiction Among Male College Freshmen.

Yue Zhang,Zhuang Liu,Yuhong Zhao

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.642914

Abstract

Background: The rate of internet addiction is increasing in college students. The first year at college is a particularly vulnerable period for internet addiction. Students' psychological characteristics are likely to play an important role in internet addiction. Our study aimed to assess the relationship between impulsivity, social support, depression and internet addiction among male college freshmen.Materials and Methods: The current study utilized latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify at-risk profiles among 734 college freshmen (100% male) based on their Internet Addiction Test item ratings. We compared the levels of impulsivity, social support and depression among different profiles and investigated whether these variables could predict each latent internet addiction class.Results: LPA resulted in three distinct profiles: the low internet addiction group (42.10%), the moderate internet addiction group (35.70%) and the high internet addiction group (22.20%). Impulsivity and depression increased with internet addiction severity levels, whereas social support was inversely related to the severity of internet addiction. Male freshmen with high impulsivity, low social support and high depression were more likely to be included in the high internet addiction group.Conclusion: This study highlights that impulsivity, social support and depression may predict internet addiction in male college freshmen. Our findings have important practical implications for college educators and counselors in developing interventions for internet addiction.

Highlights

Along with the intense and rapid development of information technology, the internet has increasingly become a ubiquitous part of daily life
Given that the bootstrap likelihood ratio test (BLRT) p-value was significant across the 7 class models, we chose the 3-class model as the best-fitting model based on the adjust LoMendell-Rubin likelihood ratio test (aLMR) P-value
These findings demonstrate that the classes were correctly clustered according to the specific features of internet addiction

Summary

Introduction

Along with the intense and rapid development of information technology, the internet has increasingly become a ubiquitous part of daily life. There is no denying that the internet provides college students with ample learning opportunities. Excessive internet usage can introduce serious negative impacts on students’ health. Problematic internet use co-occurs with various psychological disorders, such as loneliness [9], lower self-esteem, depression [10] and anxiety [11]. Excessive internet use is associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [12], resulting in poor academic performance [3]. The rate of internet addiction is increasing in college students. The first year at college is a vulnerable period for internet addiction. Students’ psychological characteristics are likely to play an important role in internet addiction. Our study aimed to assess the relationship between impulsivity, social support, depression and internet addiction among male college freshmen

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion