Prospective Study on the Relationship between Social Support and Internet Addiction / 中国心理卫生杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the relationship between social support and internet addiction in undergraduates. Method: 382 undergraduates were divided into three groups according to their social support score and perceived social support score at end of the first term in their freshmen year. They were followed for 4.5 years to collect the incidence of internet addiction. Results: The group with less social support or less perceived social support had higher incidence rate (15.7%, 7.9% and 2.4% with social support score 0～60, 61～73 and higher than 73 respectively, ?2=9.49,P=0.009). There was obvious dose-effect relationship between social support and incidence of internet addiction. Conclusion: Less social support is a risk factor of internet addiction.