Addiction to Internet Use, Online Gaming, and Online Social Networking Among Young Adults in China, Singapore, and the United States

The current study investigated the rates of addictions to Internet use, online gaming, and online social networking as well as their associations with depressive symptoms among young adults in China, Singapore, and the United States. A total of 3267 undergraduate students were recruited. Psychological instruments were used to assess various Internet-related addictions and depressive symptoms. Male students were more addicted to Internet and online gaming whereas female students were more addicted to online social networking. Compared with students in the United States, Chinese and Singaporean students were more addicted to Internet use and online social networking but less to online gaming. The odds of depression among students with addiction to various Internet-related addictions were highest in China. Internet-related addiction is a new public health concern of young adults, especially in the Asia-Pacific regions. It is found to associate with depressive symptoms. Strategies should address this phenomenon with attention to specific needs of gender and region while managing mood disturbances.

[1]  Farahmand Younes,et al.  Internet Addiction and Relationships with Insomnia, Anxiety, Depression, Stress and Self-Esteem in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Designed Study , 2016, PloS one.

[2]  Li Lin,et al.  Internet Addiction Among College Students in China: Prevalence and Psychosocial Correlates , 2016, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[3]  I. J. Pesigan,et al.  Cognitive and Psychosocial Health Risk Factors of Social Networking Addiction , 2016, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[4]  Julia M. Hormes,et al.  Under the influence of Facebook? Excess use of social networking sites and drinking motives, consequences, and attitudes in college students , 2016, Journal of behavioral addictions.

[5]  Li-Ren Chang,et al.  Risk Factors of Internet Addiction among Internet Users: An Online Questionnaire Survey , 2015, PloS one.

[6]  P. Albert,et al.  Why is depression more prevalent in women? , 2015, Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN.

[7]  Anna Shostya.  The Use of Time among College Students\ A U.S. - China Comparison , 2015 .

[8]  Lizhang Chen,et al.  Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation in Chinese College Students: A Meta-Analysis , 2014, PloS one.

[9]  Igor Pantic,et al.  Social networking and depression: an emerging issue in behavioral physiology and psychiatric research. , 2014, The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

[10]  I. Sahin,et al.  Loneliness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction as predictors of Internet addiction: a cross-sectional study among Turkish university students. , 2013, Scandinavian journal of psychology.

[11]  Mark D. Griffiths,et al.  Psychometric Properties of the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire Short-Form and Prevalence of Problematic Online Gaming in a National Sample of Adolescents , 2013, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[12]  Jin-Liang Wang,et al.  Cultural differences in social networking site use: A comparative study of China and the United States , 2013, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[13]  Mustafa Koc,et al.  Facebook Addiction Among Turkish College Students: The Role of Psychological Health, Demographic, and Usage Characteristics , 2013, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[14]  M. Kaess,et al.  Prevalence of pathological internet use among adolescents in Europe: demographic and social factors. , 2012, Addiction.

[15]  Thom Baguley,et al.  Online gaming addiction: Classification, prediction and associated risk factors , 2012 .

[16]  C. S. Andreassen,et al.  Development of a Facebook Addiction Scale , 2012, Psychological reports.

[17]  D. Gentile,et al.  Pathological Video Game Use Among Youths: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study , 2011, Pediatrics.

[18]  Silu Chen,et al.  Factors Influencing Internet Addiction in a Sample of Freshmen University Students in China , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[19]  Lixuan Zhang,et al.  A Comparative Study of Internet Addiction between the United States and China , 2008, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[20]  Demet Ongen.  The relationships between coping strategies and depression among Turkish adolescents , 2006 .

[21]  C. Ko,et al.  Gender Differences and Related Factors Affecting Online Gaming Addiction Among Taiwanese Adolescents , 2005, The Journal of nervous and mental disease.

[22]  K. Young.  Internet Addiction , 2004 .

[23]  Norman Epstein,et al.  Effects of Parental Warmth and Academic Pressure on Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents , 2015 .

[24]  A. Park,et al.  Are Only Children More Depressed, Less Happy? Evidence from China’s One-Child Policy , 2014 .

[25]  Oswald D. Kothgassner,et al.  Beyond the fascination of online-games: Probing addictive behavior and depression in the world of online-gaming , 2011, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[26]  Kimberly Young,et al.  The Relationship Between Depression and Internet Addiction , 1998, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..