Positive youth development attributes, mental disorder, and problematic online behaviors in adolescents: a longitudinal study amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Frontiers in Public Health

Public Health

Xin Jin¹  Ke-Nan Qin¹  Min Li¹  Guo-Xing Xiang²  Xiong Gan² 

[1] Department of Psychology, College of Education and Sports Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China;null;

关键词: COVID-19;    positive youth development;    depression;    internet gaming disorder;    cyberbullying/victimization;    Chinese adolescents;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2023.1133696

 received in 2022-12-29, accepted in 2023-04-04,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents have increasingly suffered from online problem behaviors and mental disorders. But little research has paid attention to the protective factors among adolescents. Therefore, the present study attempted to investigate the role of positive youth development (PYD) attributes in adolescents’ depression, internet gaming disorder (IGD) and cyberbullying/victimization (CBV).MethodsA total of 995 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.97 years, SD = 0.77, 325 boys) from two public high schools in Hubei province were recruited to participate in the three-wave longitudinal study over the span of 1 year during the pandemic (Time 1: November, 2020; Time 2: May, 2021; Time 3: November, 2021).ResultsT1 PYD attributes negatively predicted T2 depression and T3 online problematic behaviors. T2 depression positively predicted IGD at T3. T3 IGD significantly predicted greater involvement in T3 CBV, and vice versa. Moreover, depression and one online problem behavior mediated the relationships between PYD attributes and the other online problem behavior, separately and sequentially.DiscussionThese findings demonstrated the protective role of PYD attributes in prevention of mental disorders and online problem behaviors among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Comprehensive measures should be taken to assist young people to develop more PYD attributes to promote healthy growth.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Gan, Xiang, Li, Jin and Qin.