The relation between social support and internet addiction among chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model

We proposed a moderated mediation model to investigate the relations between social support and Internet addiction in adolescents as well as the mediating effect of negative coping and the moderating effect of cognitive reappraisal. A total of 546 adolescents (205 boys and 241 girls; ages = 12–15 years, M = 13, SD = 0.46) from Mainland China completed the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale, Self-Report Coping Scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Young' s Internet Addiction Scale. Social support significantly, inversely related to Internet addiction in adolescents, and negative coping behavior (e.g., withdrawal, externalizing behavior) played a mediating role in the relation between them. Adolescents’ use of cognitive reappraisal strategies moderated the mediating path between social support and negative coping, with the effect being weaker for adolescents more frequently using cognitive reappraisal to regulate their emotions. These findings reveal the necessity of considering social and individual difference factors simultaneously when evaluating risks associated with adolescent Internet addiction and offer implications for the prevention and intervention of adolescent Internet addiction.