The relationship between internet addiction and problem behaviors amongst Hong Kong adolescents : a three-year longitudinal study

Abstract

Both Internet addiction and adolescent risk behaviors are worldwide public health concerns. Unfortunately, their relationship is grossly under-researched. Adopting a longitudinal research design, this study examined the longitudinal association between Internet addiction and problem behaviors among adolescents in Hong Kong and tested whether early Internet addiction predicted later adolescent problem behaviors. A total of 2,669 junior secondary school students completed three waves of questionnaires testing their Internet addiction behavior and other problem behaviors including drug use, self-harm, suicidal behaviors, delinquency behaviors, and compensated dating. Chi-square analysis showed that Internet addicted students had a high probability to display these problem behaviors at each wave. Logistic regression analyses suggest that early Internet addiction was a precursor of later problem behaviors among adolescents. The results shed light on the relationship between Internet addiction and adolescent problem behaviors, and provide reference for prevention and intervention of these problem behaviors.