ABSTRACT
Objective@#To explore the association between negative emotion (depression, anxiety and stress), family intimacy and Internet addiction, so as to provide a basis for the intervention of Internet addiction among junior and senior high school students.@*Methods@#Students were selected by stratified random cluster sampling method from junior high schools and senior high schools from December 2022 to February 2023 in Yixing City, Jiangsu Provicne. A total of 3 026 students completed the questionnaire survey, including the demographic characteristics, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Family Environment Scale-Chinese Version (FES-CV), and Chinese Internet Addiction Scale Revised (CIAS-R). Bivariate correlation was used to analyzed the association of family intimacy, depression, anxiety, stress, and Internet addiction. Mediating effect model was used to analyzed the mediating effect of negative emotion between family intimacy and Internet addiction.@*Results@#The average score of Internet addiction among junior and senior high school students was (46.26±15.58), and there were statistical differences in the average scores of Internet addiction across different grades ( F=87.15, P <0.01). Depression ( r =0.57), anxiety ( r =0.56), stress ( r = 0.57) were positively correlated with Internet addiction, and family intimacy ( r =-0.34) was negatively correlated with Internet diction ( P <0.01). In the mediating effect model, family intimacy negatively predicted negative emotion ( β =-0.48) and Internet addiction ( β =-0.10), and negative emotion positively predicted Internet addiction ( β =0.45) ( P <0.01). Negative emotion played a partial mediating role between family intimacy and Internet addiction (the mediation value:-1.71, 95% CI =-1.96--1.49, mediation ratio:67.9%, P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#There are associations between negative emotion, family intimacy and Internet addiction among junior and senior school students. Family intimacy indirectly affects Internet addiction mainly through negative emotion. It suggests that family education is in need of attention to reduce the prevalence rate of Internet addiction among junior and senior high school students, especially family intimacy.