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Dissociative Trait as a Mediator of Problematic Internet Use in Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities

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Abstract

Purpose: This study used data from a national birth cohort study to investigate the duration of internet use at the age of 12 years among children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities (IDs) and learning disabilities (LDs) at the age of five and a half years (66 months) to understand whether an ADHD, ASD, ID and LD diagnosis in childhood increases the risk of problematic internet use (PIU) in adolescence. Furthermore, the pathway relationship of dissociative absorptive trait with PIU and these diagnoses was also investigated. Methods: The 5.5- and 12-year-old Taiwan Birth Cohort Study dataset was used (N = 17,694). Results: More boys were diagnosed with LDs, IDs, ADHD and ASD; however, girls were at increased likelihood of PIU. ID and ASD diagnoses were not associated with increasing PIU likelihood. However, children who had been diagnosed with LDs and ADHD, along with higher dissociative absorptive trait, had an indirectly increased likelihood of PIU in adolescence. Conclusions: Dissociative absorption was found to be a mediating factor between childhood diagnosis and PIU and can be used as a screening indicator in prevention programs to reduce the duration and severity of PIU in children diagnosed with ADHD and LDs. Furthermore, with the increased prevalence of smartphone usage in adolescents, education policy-makers should pay greater attention to the issue of PIU in female adolescents.

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Funding

This study was supported by grants from the Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan (DOH94-HP-1802, DOH95-HP-1802, DOH96-HP-1702, DOH99-HP-1702).

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Author notes

  1. For-Wey Lung and Hsuan Lung are co-first author.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Calo Psychiatric Center, Pingtung County, Taiwan

    For-Wey Lung & Po-Fei Chen

  2. Graduate Institute of Medical Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan

    For-Wey Lung

  3. International Graduate Program of Education and Human Development, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    For-Wey Lung

  4. Institute of Education, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    For-Wey Lung

  5. Department of Dentistry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Hsuan Lung

  6. Institute of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1 Da-Hsueh Rd, Tainan, 701, Taiwan

    Bih-Ching Shu

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  1. For-Wey Lung
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  2. Hsuan Lung
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Contributions

FWL, HL and BCS conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination. FWL and PFC performed the statistical analysis and interpretation of the data. PFC wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Bih-Ching Shu.

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Research Involving Human Participants

The Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital Institutional Review Board approved the study (Approval number KAFGHIRB 108 − 021).

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Participants and their parents/legal guardians were informed, and all provided informed consent for the study.

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Lung, FW., Lung, H., Chen, PF. et al. Dissociative Trait as a Mediator of Problematic Internet Use in Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities. Psychiatr Q 94, 399–410 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-023-10036-9

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