Urban-Rural Differences in the Association Between Internet Use Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: Longitudinal Observational Study
BackgroundInternet use exhibits diverse trajectories during adolescence, which may contribute to depressive symptoms. Currently, it remains unclear whether the association between internet use trajectories and depressive symptoms varies between urban and rural areas....
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JMIR Publications
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| Online Access: | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e63799 |
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| author | Yujie Liu Xin Ge Ying Wang Xue Yang Shangbin Liu Chen Xu Mi Xiang Fan Hu Yong Cai |
| author_facet | Yujie Liu Xin Ge Ying Wang Xue Yang Shangbin Liu Chen Xu Mi Xiang Fan Hu Yong Cai |
| author_sort | Yujie Liu |
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BackgroundInternet use exhibits diverse trajectories during adolescence, which may contribute to depressive symptoms. Currently, it remains unclear whether the association between internet use trajectories and depressive symptoms varies between urban and rural areas.
ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the association between internet use trajectories and adolescent depressive symptoms and to explore variation in this association between urban and rural areas.
MethodsThis longitudinal study used 3-wave data from the 2014-2018 China Family Panel Study. Weekly hours of internet use and depressive symptoms were measured using self-reported questionnaires. Latent class growth modeling was performed to identify the trajectories of internet use. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine the association between internet use trajectories and depressive symptoms, stratified by rural and urban residence.
ResultsParticipants were 2237 adolescents aged 10 to 15 years at baseline (mean age 12.46, SD 1.73 years). Two latent trajectory classes of internet use were identified: the low-growth group (n=2008, 89.8%) and the high-growth group (n=229, 10.2%). The high-growth group was associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms (OR 1.486, 95% CI 1.065-2.076) compared to the low-growth group. In the stratified analysis, the association between internet use trajectories and depressive symptoms was significant solely among rural adolescents (OR 1.856, 95% CI 1.164-2.959).
ConclusionsThis study elucidates urban-rural differences in the associations between trajectories of internet use and adolescent depressive symptoms. Our findings underscore the importance of prioritizing interventions for rural adolescents’ internet use behaviors to mitigate negative effects on their mental health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b7705a6e3bc3414892561bbf4a34951b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1438-8871 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
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| series | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-b7705a6e3bc3414892561bbf4a34951b2025-02-07T18:00:35ZengJMIR PublicationsJournal of Medical Internet Research1438-88712025-02-0127e6379910.2196/63799Urban-Rural Differences in the Association Between Internet Use Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: Longitudinal Observational StudyYujie Liuhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6093-9509Xin Gehttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3280-388XYing Wanghttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6036-4135Xue Yanghttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7892-2994Shangbin Liuhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9455-5282Chen Xuhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-7158-5402Mi Xianghttps://orcid.org/0009-0009-9946-9768Fan Huhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7929-6953Yong Caihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5706-7906 BackgroundInternet use exhibits diverse trajectories during adolescence, which may contribute to depressive symptoms. Currently, it remains unclear whether the association between internet use trajectories and depressive symptoms varies between urban and rural areas. ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the association between internet use trajectories and adolescent depressive symptoms and to explore variation in this association between urban and rural areas. MethodsThis longitudinal study used 3-wave data from the 2014-2018 China Family Panel Study. Weekly hours of internet use and depressive symptoms were measured using self-reported questionnaires. Latent class growth modeling was performed to identify the trajectories of internet use. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine the association between internet use trajectories and depressive symptoms, stratified by rural and urban residence. ResultsParticipants were 2237 adolescents aged 10 to 15 years at baseline (mean age 12.46, SD 1.73 years). Two latent trajectory classes of internet use were identified: the low-growth group (n=2008, 89.8%) and the high-growth group (n=229, 10.2%). The high-growth group was associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms (OR 1.486, 95% CI 1.065-2.076) compared to the low-growth group. In the stratified analysis, the association between internet use trajectories and depressive symptoms was significant solely among rural adolescents (OR 1.856, 95% CI 1.164-2.959). ConclusionsThis study elucidates urban-rural differences in the associations between trajectories of internet use and adolescent depressive symptoms. Our findings underscore the importance of prioritizing interventions for rural adolescents’ internet use behaviors to mitigate negative effects on their mental health.https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e63799 |
| spellingShingle | Yujie Liu Xin Ge Ying Wang Xue Yang Shangbin Liu Chen Xu Mi Xiang Fan Hu Yong Cai Urban-Rural Differences in the Association Between Internet Use Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: Longitudinal Observational Study Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| title | Urban-Rural Differences in the Association Between Internet Use Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: Longitudinal Observational Study |
| title_full | Urban-Rural Differences in the Association Between Internet Use Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: Longitudinal Observational Study |
| title_fullStr | Urban-Rural Differences in the Association Between Internet Use Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: Longitudinal Observational Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Urban-Rural Differences in the Association Between Internet Use Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: Longitudinal Observational Study |
| title_short | Urban-Rural Differences in the Association Between Internet Use Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: Longitudinal Observational Study |
| title_sort | urban rural differences in the association between internet use trajectories and depressive symptoms in chinese adolescents longitudinal observational study |
| url | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e63799 |
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