A Study on the Latent Profile Analysis of Problematic Internet Use among College Students and Its Relationship with Mental Health and Social Adjustment Indicators
Problematic internet use; Latent profile analysis; Peer relationships; Depression; Belief in a just world
问题性网络使用; 潜在剖面分析; 同伴关系; 抑郁; 公正世界信念
Abstract:
This study aims to explore the potential heterogeneous categories of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) among college students and to compare differences in psychosocial indicators—specifically depression, peer relationships, and belief in a just world—across these categories. Using convenience sampling, 381 college students were surveyed. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was employed to identify latent categories based on five dimensions of PIU, followed by one-way ANOVA to examine differences in the indicators across the categories. The results revealed that college students’ PIU can be classified into four latent categories: Internet-addicted (11.5%), habitual excessive users (29.2%), adaptive users (36.1%), and healthy mastery users (23.2%). Comparative analysis showed that from the healthy mastery to the Internetaddicted category, levels of depression increased significantly, while the quality of peer relationships and the strength of belief in a just world decreased significantly. The findings indicate the existence of heterogeneous PIU categories among college students, and these categories are closely associated with psychosocial adjustment. This provides a basis for implementing targeted, tiered prevention and intervention strategies.
本研究旨在探究大学生问题性网络使用(ProblematicInternetUse)的潜在异质性类别,并比较不同类别在抑郁、同伴关系与公正世界信念等心理社会指标上的差异。采用方便取样法对381名大学生进行问卷调查,使用潜在剖面分析(LPA)基于问题性网络使用的五个维度识别其潜在类型,进而通过单因素方差分析(ANOVA)检验不同类别在各项指标上的差异。结果发现,大学生PIU可被划分为四个潜在类型:网络成瘾型(11.5%)、习惯性过度使用型(29.2%)、适应性使用型(36.1%)与健康掌控型(23.2%)。差异比较显示,从健康掌控型到网络成瘾型,抑郁水平显著升高,而同伴关系质量与公正世界信念水平显著下降。研究结果表明,大学生PIU存在异质性类别,且不同类别与心理社会适应状况密切相关,这为实施针对性的分级预防与干预提供了依据。