The Relationship Between Negative Life Events and Internet Addiction Disorder Among Adolescents and College Students in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) has become a social problem. Literature suggests that negative life events can cause numerous problematic behaviors and part of them will result in IAD. However, there is a lack of evidence that elucidates the association between negative life events and IAD. Thereby, we performed a comprehensive analysis to further document the relationship between negative life events and IAD among adolescents and college students in China. METHODS: We searched ten electronic databases for relevant articles. We extracted correlation coefficient (r) values from each study and calculated 95% confidence interval (95% CI) after applying Fisher’s z. A random-effect or fixed-effect model was applied to analyze the data. Heterogeneity was examined using I(2) statistics and the Cochran’s Q statistics. RESULTS: A total of 31 studies were involved in this meta-analysis. Positive correlation was observed between negative life events and IAD. The subtype interpersonal relationship of negative life events was closely associationed with IAD. CONCLUSION: There were significant positive association between negative life events and IAD. The findings can be used to guide IAD interventions. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#recordDetails].