Journal of behavioral addictionsOct 17, 2022

How childhood hardships and changes in loneliness relate to problematic internet use in young adults

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Mar 29, 2026

Abstract

12.78% of young adults exhibited problematic Internet usage () in a cohort of 2,393 adolescents studied from ages 14 to 28.

12.65% of participants reported no (ACEs).
Three loneliness trajectory groups were identified: 'constant low' (53.25%), 'moderate decline' (36.81%), and 'increasing' (9.94%).
A dose-response association was found between ACEs and young adults' PIU, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.12.
The moderate decline and increasing loneliness groups showed relative risk ratios of 1.42 and 1.52 for PIU, respectively.
ACEs may increase the risk of being in the increasing loneliness group, which is associated with higher PIU.

Simplified

BACKGROUNDS AND AIMS: Given problematic Internet usage's () negative impact on individual health, this study evaluates how (ACEs) affect young adults' PIU and the possible underlying mechanism of the "" (FOL) trajectory.

METHODS: Analyzing a retrospective cohort sample from the Taiwan Youth Project, 2,393 adolescents were interviewed from the average ages of 14-28. We constructed ACE in 2000 using six categories (e.g., abuse and low family socioeconomic status) and 5-item PIU in 2017 from Chen's Internet Addiction Scale. FOL trajectories measured eight times, at average ages 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 25, 28 years-old.

RESULTS: Overall, 12.65% of the participants did not have ACEs, and 12.78% exhibited PIU. FOL trajectory analyses yielded three groups: "constant low" (reference group: 53.25%); "moderate decline" (36.81%); and "increasing" (9.94%). Regression models showed a dose-response association between ACE and young adults' PIU (adjusted odds ratio = 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-1.23) and the two risky loneliness groups (moderate decline: relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.32-1.54; increasing: RRR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.37-1.71). Structural equation modeling further found that ACEs increase young adults' risk of being in the increasing group, and consequently, the risk of PIU.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that ACE may be associated with 1) adults' PIU, 2) FOL from adolescence to emerging adulthood, and 3) young adults' PIU through its association with FOL trajectories.

Key numbers

1.12

Increase in Odds of

Adjusted odds ratio for impacting

1.75

Higher Risk of with

Adjusted odds ratio for four or more

9.94%

Loneliness Trajectory Groups

Percentage of participants in the increasing loneliness group

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How childhood hardships and changes in loneliness relate to problematic internet use in young adults

Abstract

Key numbers

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