Gratitude and problematic internet use in middle school students: the roles of perceived social support and self-harmony.
- 1Department of Psychology, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha, China.
- 2Department of Psychology, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, China.
Abstract
With the rapid development of the internet, its penetration among Chinese middle school students has neared saturation, and the issue of problematic internet use has become increasingly prominent. Therefore, the protective factors that curb this behavior warrant in-depth research. This study surveyed 1,255 middle school students to investigate the association between gratitude and problematic internet use as well as the potential mediating roles of perceived social support and self-harmony. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between gratitude and problematic internet use. Furthermore, gratitude was significantly associated with problematic internet use, and this association was mediated by perceived social support and self-harmony individually as well as through their serial mediation. These findings may inform future interventional research and theory development on problematic internet use.
Related
- Early detection of problematic internet use among university students: psychometric validation of the PIUQ-9
- Structural equation model of gratitude, two-way social support, and smartphone addiction among nursing students
- Problematic internet use and its associated factors among the students of higher secondary schools of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal
- Perceived neijuan profiles and problematic short-form video use among Chinese college students: indirect associations through anxiety and escape motivation
- Post-enrollment academic support and perceived learning effectiveness among international students in Chinese universities
BibTeX
@article{xiao2026gratitude,
title = {{Gratitude and problematic internet use in middle school students: the roles of perceived social support and self-harmony.}},
author = {Xiao Xiao and Qingyin Xiao and Yuting Liu and Youlong Zhan},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1937434},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953542},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gratitude and problematic internet use in middle school students: the roles of perceived social support and self-harmony.
AU - Xiao Xiao
AU - Qingyin Xiao
AU - Yuting Liu
AU - Youlong Zhan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1937434
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953542
AB - With the rapid development of the internet, its penetration among Chinese middle school students has neared saturation, and the issue of problematic internet use has become increasingly prominent. Therefore, the protective factors that curb this behavior warrant in-depth research. This study surveyed 1,255 middle school students to investigate the association between gratitude and problematic internet use as well as the potential mediating roles of perceived social support and self-harmony. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between gratitude and problematic internet use. Furthermore, gratitude was significantly associated with problematic internet use, and this association was mediated by perceived social support and self-harmony individually as well as through their serial mediation. These findings may inform future interventional research and theory development on problematic internet use.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -