Social support as a mediator between internet addiction and quality of life among Chinese high school students

Abstract

Internet addiction among high school students is an emerging public health issue in China. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between internet addiction and quality of life, as well as the mediation effect of social support in such an association, among Chinese rural high school students. A total of 1277 high school students (mean age: 17.35 years; standard deviation: 1.39 years) from three rural high schools in the province of Henan in China were recruited. Internet addiction was measured by the Young’s Internet Addiction Scale, quality of life was assessed with a 16-item Quality of Life Questionnaire, and social support was evaluated by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. This study revealed that the prevalence rate of internet addiction was 11.51% among the participants. Internet addiction was negatively associated with overall quality of life (β = -0.06, p < 0.001) and its four dimensions (mental β = -0.09, p < 0.001, physical β = -0.09, p < 0.001, social β = -0.05, p = 0.04, and cultural β = -0.060, p = 0.012). The study also confirmed that social support from families, friends, and significant others mediates the negative association between internet indication and quality of life.