Academic Journal
Unraveling the dynamics among Internet gaming disorder, depression and emotion dysregulation in Chinese adolescents: A cross-lagged panel network analysis.
| Title: | Unraveling the dynamics among Internet gaming disorder, depression and emotion dysregulation in Chinese adolescents: A cross-lagged panel network analysis. |
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| Authors: | Yu C; Department of Psychology/Research Center of Adolescent Psychology and Behavior, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China., Liao X; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China. Electronic address: 2025010272@m.scnu.edu.cn., Ni X; Department of Psychology/Research Center of Adolescent Psychology and Behavior, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China., Ou Z; Department of Psychology/Research Center of Adolescent Psychology and Behavior, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China., Wang M; Department of Psychology/Research Center of Adolescent Psychology and Behavior, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China., Chen J; Department of Psychology/Research Center of Adolescent Psychology and Behavior, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China., Huang S; Department of Psychology/Research Center of Adolescent Psychology and Behavior, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: huangsai@gzhu.edu.cn. |
| Source: | Addictive behaviors [Addict Behav] 2026 Aug; Vol. 179, pp. 108708. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 12. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier Science Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 7603486 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-6327 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03064603 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Addict Behav Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Oxford : Elsevier Science Original Publication: Oxford, Elmsford, N. Y., Pergamon Press. |
| MeSH Terms: | Affective Symptoms*/psychology , Affective Symptoms*/epidemiology , Depression*/psychology , Depression*/epidemiology , Internet Addiction Disorder*/psychology , Internet Addiction Disorder*/epidemiology , Video Games*/psychology , Emotional Regulation*, China/epidemiology ; East Asian People/psychology ; Adolescent ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Internet ; Longitudinal Studies |
| Abstract: | Internet gaming disorder (IGD) jeopardizes adolescents' physical and psychological health and often co-occurs with depression and emotion dysregulation. The current understanding of the symptom-level associations among IGD, depression, and emotion dysregulation remains limited. This study explored the unique longitudinal relationships among the symptoms of IGD, depression, and emotion dysregulation in adolescents. In total, 466 boys and 420 girls completed the IGD, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation scales at three time points (Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3), with each wave spaced six months apart. Their ages ranged from 9 to 13 years, with a mean age of 10.17 years (SD = 0.73). A cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) was used for the data analysis. CLPN analysis indicated that "psychosocial problems", "depressed affect", and "somatic and retarded activity" were the most impactful symptoms from T1 to T2. From T2 to T3, "depressed affect", "lack of emotional clarity", and "psychosocial problems" were the most impactful symptoms. Additionally, "depressed affect" was the most important bridging symptom in the network. Notably, reciprocal relationships were observed among several factors: between "somatic and retarded activity" and "uncontrollability", between "limited access to emotion regulation strategies" and "uncontrollability", and between "somatic and retarded activity" and "difficulties engaging in goal-directed". This pattern points to a potential self-reinforcing cycle. This study identified the specific bidirectional predictive relationships among IGD, depression, and emotion dysregulation at the symptom level in adolescents. Additionally, it pinpointed central and bridging symptoms as targets for preventing co-occurring issues. The results underscore the imperative to design targeted strategies that bolster adolescents' psychological health. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Adolescents; Depression; Emotion dysregulation; Internet gaming disorder (IGD); Network analysis |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260416 Date Completed: 20260715 Latest Revision: 20260715 |
| Update Code: | 20260715 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108708 |
| PMID: | 41990708 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-6327 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108708 |