Relationships between internet use, deliberate self-harm, and happiness in adolescents: A Taiwan birth cohort pilot study.

For-Wey Lung,Tung-Liang Chiang,Bih-Ching Shu,Shio-Jean Lin,Daniel Romer

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0235834

Abstract

The potential risk of internet use on adolescents’ self-harm is a major concern. Vulnerable adolescents who are susceptible to bullying are also susceptible to the negative influence of the internet. In this study, the pathway associations were investigated between the risk factors of deliberate self-harm, experience of being bullied, internet use, and protective factors of maternal monitoring on perceived happiness of 12- and 13-year-old adolescents in the Taiwan Birth Cohort Pilot Study dataset (n = 1,457). The Chinese Oxford Happiness Questionnaire was used to measure the adolescents’ self-perceived levels of happiness, in two dimensions of social adaptation status and psychological well-being. Our results show that 354 (24.3%) of the 12-year-olds reported having been bullied, and 289 (19.8%) of the 13-year-olds reported this. Seventy-nine (5.4%) of 13-year-olds reported deliberate self-harm in the past year. Results of a structural equation model showed that those who had been bullied at age 12 years were at greater risk of deliberate self-harm at age 13 years. A negative association was found between duration of internet use and perceived level of happiness. Adolescents who spent >5 h online during days off school were at higher risk of deliberate self-harm, and perceived a lower level of happiness. Therefore, spending >5 h online during days off school could be used as an indicator in future preventive action programs to screen out those at a high risk of excessive internet use, deliberate self-harm, and psychological well-being and social adjustment issues.

Highlights

The potential influence of internet use on adolescents’ self-harm and suicidal behaviors is a matter of great concern
Our national birth cohort pilot study found that at age years, approximately one quarter (24.3%) of adolescents reported having been bullied, with the rate of bullying decreasing to 19.8% at age. Those who had been bullied at 12 years perceived lower psychological well-being (PWB) and SAS
Those with a lower SAS at age years were at higher risk of being bullied at years, which indirectly affected their PWB at 13 years

Summary

Introduction

The potential influence of internet use on adolescents’ self-harm and suicidal behaviors is a matter of great concern. Because adolescents are at a life stage with developmental issues and experience of stressful circumstances, they are more prone to deliberate self-harm. Self-harm is most frequent in adolescents, especially girls, aged 13–15 years, and usually begins in this age group [1]. Daine et al systematically reviewed the influence of internet use on self-.

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Results

Conclusion