Internet addiction and college students’ depression : an analysis of moderating mediating effects

Abstract

Objective To explore the mediating role played by college students’ social anxiety and social support in the relationship between internet addiction and depression. Methods A cluster random sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey among 3 536 college students in three higher vocational colleges in Anhui Province. The content included general demographic characteristics, depression, Internet addiction, social support, and social anxiety. The Process program was used to mediate and analysis of regulation. Results Among the survey subjects, 1 552(43.90%) had depressive symptoms, including 561(45.65%) boys and 991(42.96%) girls.The total score of Internet addiction was significantly positively correlated with depression score ( r = 0.30, P <0.01) ; social anxiety (social fear, social avoidance) was positively correlated with depression ( r = 0.24, 0.27, P <0.01); social support (subjective support, objective support, support utilization) was significantly negatively correlated with depression ( r = 0.25, -0.23, -0.17, P <0.01). Conditional process analysis shows that social anxiety had a mediating role between internet addiction and depression (c′=0.06, P <0.01), and that Internet addiction and social anxiety were regulated by social support ( β = -0.00 P =0.02). Conclusion By increasing the social support of college students to improve social anxiety, it might help to reduce the depression of college students caused by Internet addiction. 【摘要】 目的 探讨大学生社交焦虑、社会支持在网络成瘾与抑郁关系中的作用, 为寻找抑郁诱因以及对学生网络成瘾 行为的矫正等实践工作提供理论资料。 方法 采用整群随机抽样法, 对安徽省 3 所髙职院校 3 536 名大学生进行问卷调 査, 内容包括一般人口学特征、抑郁状况、网络成瘾、社会支持和社交焦虑情况, 采用Process程序进行中介与调节作用分 析。 结果 大学生中有抑郁症状的有 1 552 名 (43.90%), 其中男生 561 名 (45.65%), 女生991名 (42.96%)。网络成瘾总 分与抑郁得分呈正相关 ( r = 0.30, P <0.01);社交焦虑各维度 (社交恐惧、社会回避) 与抑郁呈正相关 ( r 值分别为 0.24,0.27, P 值均<0.01), 社会支持各维度 (主观支持、客观支持、支持利用度) 与抑郁呈负相关 ( r 值分别为-0.25,-0.23, -0.17, P 值 均<0.01)。调节作用分析显示社交焦虑在网络成瘾与抑郁之间具有部分中介作用 ( c ′=0.06, P <0.01), 网络成瘾和社交焦 虑之间受到社会支持的调节( β =-0.00, P =0.02)。 结论 通过增加大学生的社会支持, 可以改善由网络成瘾引起的社交 焦虑, 从而能进一步减少大学生的抑郁情绪。