Problematic Internet Use and Smoking among Chinese Junior Secondary Students: The Mediating Role of Depressive Symptomatology and Family Support

Phoenix Kit-han Mo, Ji-Bin Li, Hui Jiang and Joseph T. F. Lau
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Phoenix Kit-han Mo: Center for Health Behaviours Research, School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Ji-Bin Li: Department of Clinical Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
Hui Jiang: Center for Health Behaviours Research, School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Joseph T. F. Lau: Center for Health Behaviours Research, School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-12

Abstract: Background : Internet use is significant public health issue and can be a risk factor for other addictive behaviors, such as smoking. The present study examined the association between problematic Internet use (PIU) (i.e., Internet addiction (IA) and social networking addiction (SNA)) and smoking, and the mediating role of depressive symptomatology and family support played in such associations. Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted among 5182 junior secondary students (grade 7 and 8) recruited from nine schools using stratified sampling. Results : A total of 3.6% of students had smoked in the past month, and 6.4% of students were identified as IA cases. Adjusted for significant background variables, PIU (ORa = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.48, 2.90 for IA, ORa = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.09, 1.47 for SNA), and probable depression (ORa = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.69) were significant risk factors, while family support (ORa = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.77, 0.94) was a significant protective factor of smoking. The mediation effects of lower family support and probable depression on the association between score on IA scale and smoking, and the mediation effect of lower family support on the association between score on SNA scale and smoking were significant, while the mediation effect of probable depression on the association between score on SNA scale and smoking was marginally significant. Conclusions : PIU contributed to an increased risk of smoking through depressive symptomatology and decreasing family support among junior school students. Interventions to reduce smoking are warranted; they should seek to reduce problematic Internet use and depressive symptomatology, and promote family support.

Keywords: internet addiction; social networking addiction; smoking; depression; family support; adolescents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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