The association between problematic internet use and social anxiety within adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Frontiers in Public Health

Public Health

Qixuan Sun¹  Haiyang Ding²  Bing Cao³ 

[1] College of Computer and Information Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, China;Faculty of Psychology, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China;Faculty of Psychology, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China;Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China;

关键词: internet addiction disorder;    social anxiety;    adolescent;    young adult;    systematic review;    meta-analysis;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2023.1275723

 received in 2023-08-10, accepted in 2023-09-18,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

ObjectiveAlthough numerous studies have investigated the association between problematic internet use (PIU) and social anxiety, the findings have no yet reached consistent. The present meta-analysis aims to examine the association between PIU and social anxiety within adolescents and young adults (age range: 14–24 years old).MethodThe meta-analysis systematically retrieved the studies prior to September 7, 2023 from Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, CNKI, and CQVIP. The meta-analysis based on random-effects model to conduct the research. Stata Version 17.0 and JASP 16.3.0 was used to analysis.ResultsThe meta-analysis ultimately included 37 studies (37 effect sizes in total), involving a total of 36,013 subjects. Our findings indicated that the overall correlation between PIU and social anxiety was significant positive [r = 0.333, 95% CI (0.292, 0.373), p < 0.001]. Their association was significantly moderated by publication year, measurement tools for PIU and social anxiety but not significantly by culture context, developmental level and gender.ConclusionThis meta-analysis suggests that social anxiety is a predictor of the development of PIU in adolescents and young adults. Furthermore, the study also finds the possibility that contemporary adolescents and youth may exhibit a more “global” behavior pattern, potentially emphasizing fewer differences between cultures, generations and genders.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Ding, Cao and Sun.