Internet Use Behavior and Adolescent Mental Health: The Mediating Effects of Self-Education Expectations and Parental Support.

Abstract

This study focuses on how Internet use behavior affects adolescents' mental health and whether self-education expectations and parental support mediate the relationship between Internet use behavior and adolescents' mental health. The data for this paper came from the results of the student questionnaire of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2018), which was a structured questionnaire that asked students about their family situation, school life, studies, internet use, and mental health, among other things. A sample of 336,600 children in grades 7-13 was selected for this study. The data were analyzed using STATA version 16 and the theoretical framework was tested using a mediated effects model. The results of the study showed that Internet use behavior made a positive contribution to mental health and the mediating effects of self-education expectations and parental support on the relationship between Internet use behavior and adolescent mental health were all significant. It is recommended that appropriate policies should be formulated to help adolescents use the Internet rationally, and the positive effects of parental support and self-education expectations should be utilized.