Social anxiety mediates between victimization experiences and internet addiction among adolescents: results from propensity score matching

Previous research has indicated that Victimization Experiences (VE) may be linked to a heightened likelihood of developing psychological symptoms and Internet Addiction (IA) among adolescents. However, the precise mechanism through which VE contributes to IA in adolescents remains uncertain. This st...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in psychology 2024-05, Vol.15, p.1378428-1378428
Main Authors: Wu, Jianwei, Wang, Hui, Li, Xiang, Van, Iat Kio, Xie, Xuebin, Pang, Ching Han
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adolescents
internet addiction
propensity score matching
Psychology
social anxiety
victimization experiences
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Previous research has indicated that Victimization Experiences (VE) may be linked to a heightened likelihood of developing psychological symptoms and Internet Addiction (IA) among adolescents. However, the precise mechanism through which VE contributes to IA in adolescents remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate whether Social Anxiety (SA) serves as a mediation between VE and IA, utilizing the framework of General Strain Theory. A cross-sectional survey among 11 middle schools or high schools in Macao was conducted from October to December 2022. Respondents in the victimized group and non-victimized group were 1:1 paired using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to control the potential confounding factors. A total of 1,089 questionnaires were valid for analysis and 311 pairs were generated through PSM. Respondents in the victimized group reported significantly higher IA than those in non-victimized group (23.5% vs. 12.5%,  
ISSN:1664-1078
1664-1078
DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1378428