The Relationship Among Internet Addiction, Depression, and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: A Network Analysis
6 affiliations
- 1School of Psychology Capital Normal University Beijing China cnu.edu.cn
- 2Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health Institute of Psychology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China cas.cn
- 3Center for Mental Health Applications Institute of Psychology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China cas.cn
- 4Department of Psychology The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China ucas.ac.cn
- 5College of Education Capital Normal University Beijing China cnu.edu.cn
- 6Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition and Department of Psychology Capital Normal University Beijing China cnu.edu.cn
Abstract
Background: With the increasing prevalence of internet use among younger age groups, internet addiction and its associated mental health problems, particularly depression and anxiety, have attracted increasing public attention. Although studies have revealed an association between internet addiction and mental health, there is still a lack of in‐depth understanding of the interactions among specific symptoms and differences between children and adolescents. A network analysis approach was adopted to address these issues.
Methods: A total of 12,779 participants aged 10–18 years completed the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder‐7 (GAD‐7) through an online platform. Symptom networks of internet addiction, depression, and anxiety were constructed separately for children and adolescents and compared between the two groups.
Results: The most central symptoms were consistent across the two groups (children and adolescents), including “anticipation” (IAT11), “neglect chores to spend more time online” (IAT2), and “uncontrollable worrying” (GAD2). Bridge symptoms were also similar across the two groups, including “nervousness” (GAD1), “irritability” (GAD6), and “restlessness” (GAD5). However, there were significant differences in network structure, with adolescents exhibiting stronger within‐community (within‐syndrome) edges and children exhibiting stronger between‐community (cross‐syndrome) edges.
Conclusions: This study revealed similarities and differences in the network structures of internet addiction, depression, and anxiety between children and adolescents. These findings may provide a basis for targeted intervention strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026relationship,
title = {{The Relationship Among Internet Addiction, Depression, and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: A Network Analysis}},
author = {Ya Wang and Han Wang and Jing Guo and Jia Huang and Jing Xiao and Qi Li},
journal = {Depression and Anxiety},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1155/da/3015380},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/da/3015380},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Relationship Among Internet Addiction, Depression, and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: A Network Analysis
AU - Ya Wang
AU - Han Wang
AU - Jing Guo
AU - Jia Huang
AU - Jing Xiao
AU - Qi Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Depression and Anxiety
DO - 10.1155/da/3015380
UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/da/3015380
AB - Background: With the increasing prevalence of internet use among younger age groups, internet addiction and its associated mental health problems, particularly depression and anxiety, have attracted increasing public attention. Although studies have revealed an association between internet addiction and mental health, there is still a lack of in‐depth understanding of the interactions among specific symptoms and differences between children and adolescents. A network analysis approach was adopted to address these issues. Methods: A total of 12,779 participants aged 10–18 years completed the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder‐7 (GAD‐7) through an online platform. Symptom networks of internet addiction, depression, and anxiety were constructed separately for children and adolescents and compared between the two groups. Results: The most central symptoms were consistent across the two groups (children and adolescents), including “anticipation” (IAT11), “neglect chores to spend more time online” (IAT2), and “uncontrollable worrying” (GAD2). Bridge symptoms were also similar across the two groups, including “nervousness” (GAD1), “irritability” (GAD6), and “restlessness” (GAD5). However, there were significant differences in network structure, with adolescents exhibiting stronger within‐community (within‐syndrome) edges and children exhibiting stronger between‐community (cross‐syndrome) edges. Conclusions: This study revealed similarities and differences in the network structures of internet addiction, depression, and anxiety between children and adolescents. These findings may provide a basis for targeted intervention strategies.
SN - 1091-4269
SN - 1520-6394
ER -