Comorbidity of Internet addiction and posttraumatic stress disorder among Chinese children and adolescents

BackgroundExposure to COVID-19 is linked with a set of common mental disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research has demonstrated that PTSD is linked with addiction-related symptoms. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the linkage between PTSD symptoms and Internet addiction (IA) symptoms that have included a large sample of children and adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the comorbidity of IA and PTSD among a large sample of Chinese students exposed to COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns by conducting a network analysis.MethodThe data used in this study was extracted from six-month follow-up data from a longitudinal study that included 7958 Chinese adolescents. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess IA and PTSD symptoms. Network analysis was conducted on 31 items: 19 items from the IA community and 12 from the PTSD community.ResultsThis study found that symptoms from the same community cluster were more closely related. Four key bridge symptoms were identified: sleep problems, concentration difficulties, irritability, and withdrawal distress. In the PTSD-only network, central symptoms were avoiding reminders, easy reminding, avoiding thoughts, and startled.ConclusionsThe estimated network structure of PTSD and IA symptoms highlighted key bridge symptoms that are more influential than others on comorbidity maintenance. These symptoms could be targeted in clinical practice to better alleviate the suffering of children and adolescents. Interventions could focus on vital symptoms including alleviating sleep problems, concentration difficulties, irritability, and withdrawal distress to decrease the comorbidity of IA and PTSD.

Automated summary

This study investigated the comorbidity of Internet addiction (IA) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among Chinese students exposed to COVID-19. Network analysis revealed key bridge symptoms that play a crucial role in maintaining the comorbidity. Targeting these symptoms in clinical practice could alleviate the suffering of children and adolescents.