Psychiatry researchMay 26, 2020

Problematic Internet use and its link to suicidal thoughts in Chinese teens

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 28, 2026

Abstract

Among 12,507 adolescents, 27.52% met the criteria for problematic Internet use (PIU).

A total of 2,809 adolescents reported suicidal ideation (SI), representing 22.46% of the sample.
PIU is significantly associated with an increased risk of SI, with higher IAT scores correlating to greater risk.
Adolescents with IAT scores between 60-79 points had a 1.3 times higher odds of SI compared to those with scores below 40.
For IAT scores of 80-100 points, the odds of SI increased to 2.2 times compared to lower scores.
The risk of SI associated with PIU was consistent across various subgroups, including those with mood disorders and different levels of quality of life.
Interactions between PIU and factors like mood disorders and aggression were significant, indicating a complex relationship.

Simplified

To evaluate the relationships between problematic Internet use (PIU) and suicidal ideation (SI) among adolescents, we encompassed 12,507 participants (16.6 ± 0.8 years). The occurrence of mood disorders, quality of life (QOL), personality traits and SI were compared in adolescents with and without PIU. Multilevel logistic regression models, trend analysis and interaction analysis were employed. A total of 2,809 (22.46%) adolescents reported SI. PIU was assessed using Internet Addiction Test score (IATs), and 3,442 (27.52%) participants met the criteria for PIU (IATs ≥ 40). PIU was significantly and independently associated with SI [AOR for suicidal ideation (vs. IATs < 40): 1.00 for 40-59 points; 1.3 (CI, 1.2-1.5): 60-79 points; 1.7 (CI, 1.4-2.1): 80-100 points; and 2.2 (CI, 1.2-3.9)]. Trend analysis demonstrated that PIU increased the risk of SI in each of the subgroups (p for trend ≤ 0.001 for each). Interaction analysis showed an association of PIU and SI that were dependent on mood disorders, QOL, impulsivity and aggression (p-value for interaction < 0.05). These findings highlight the need for a range of cross disciplinary health interventions to afflicted families, students, and clinicians, to increase the awareness of adverse PIU effects.

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Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Problematic Internet use and its link to suicidal thoughts in Chinese teens

Abstract

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Abstract

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