Similarities and differences in core symptoms of problematic smartphone use among Chinese students enrolled in grades 4 to 9: A large national cross-sectional study

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108164

PSYCH OpenIR

	Similarities and differences in core symptoms of problematic smartphone use among Chinese students enrolled in grades 4 to 9: A large national cross-sectional study
	Cai, Ruihan 1; Zhou, Zhitong 1; Chen, Zhiyan 2; Luo, Hongge 1
通讯作者	Chen, Zhiyan(chenzy@psych.ac.cn) ; Luo, Hongge(tangshan-123-cool@163.com)
摘要	Children and adolescents are highly susceptible to problematic smartphone usage. We employed network analysis to explore the similarities and differences in the core symptoms of problematic smartphone use across grades 4-9, using a large nationwide sample. This study included 8552 children and adolescents (Mage M age = 12.98, SD =1.51) who met the critical value for problematic smartphone use. The results showed that the core symptoms of problematic smartphone use exhibit both similarities and differences between grades 4 and 9. 'Withdrawal symptoms' and 'preoccupation symptoms' were the stable core symptoms of problematic smartphone use across grades 4 to 9, suggesting that problematic smartphone use begin to appear from earlier grades, such as grade 4. 'Feel impatient and fretful', 'never give up' and 'always thinking about' were the core symptoms in grades 4 and 5. 'Longer than I had intended' and 'hard to concentrate' emerged as additional core symptoms in grade 6, with the intensity indicators peaking in grades 8 and 9, suggesting that the issue of problematic smartphone use among Chinese children and adolescents has become intensified and intricate. Symptoms of problematic smartphone use vary across grades and exhibit both continuity and stage specificity. Consequently, to address this issue, the formulation of intervention measures should comprehensively consider both the grade levels and symptoms.
关键词	Chinese children and adolescents Problematic smartphone use Similarities Differences Core symptoms Network analysis
	2025
语种	英语
DOI	10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108164
发表期刊	ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS
ISSN	0306-4603
卷号	160 页码:19
收录类别	SCI
资助项目	Chinese Mental Health Database, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
出版者	PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
WOS关键词	INTERNET ADDICTION ; MOBILE PHONE ; ADOLESCENTS ; PERSPECTIVE ; PREDICTORS ; EMOTIONS ; SCHOOL ; MODEL
WOS研究方向	Psychology ; Substance Abuse
WOS类目	Psychology, Clinical ; Substance Abuse
WOS记录号	WOS:001316865000001
资助机构	Chinese Mental Health Database, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	https://ir.psych.ac.cn/handle/311026/48984
通讯作者	Chen, Zhiyan; Luo, Hongge
作者单位	1.North China Univ Sci & Technol, Sch Psychol & Mental Hlth, 21 Bohai Ave, Tangshan 063000, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Psychol, CAS Key Lab Mental Hlth, 16 Lincui Rd, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Cai, Ruihan,Zhou, Zhitong,Chen, Zhiyan,et al. Similarities and differences in core symptoms of problematic smartphone use among Chinese students enrolled in grades 4 to 9: A large national cross-sectional study[J]. ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS,2025,160:19.
APA	Cai, Ruihan,Zhou, Zhitong,Chen, Zhiyan,&Luo, Hongge.(2025).Similarities and differences in core symptoms of problematic smartphone use among Chinese students enrolled in grades 4 to 9: A large national cross-sectional study.ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS,160,19.
MLA	Cai, Ruihan,et al."Similarities and differences in core symptoms of problematic smartphone use among Chinese students enrolled in grades 4 to 9: A large national cross-sectional study".ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 160(2025):19.