Network Analysis of Childhood Maltreatment and Internet Addiction in Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

Abstract Background In this study, network analysis was used to explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment (CM) and Internet Addiction (IA) in adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Methods Conducted across seven hospitals in Anhui Province, China, involving 332 adolescents, it employs the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form (CTQ-SF) and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) to measure CM and the symptoms of IA, respectively. Results Using network analysis, the CM-IA network were constructed to identify the most central symptoms and the bridge symptoms within the networks. "Depress/moody/nervous being offline", " Request an extension for longer time", "Sleep loss due to late-night logines", and " emotional abuse " were identified as the central symptoms of CM-IA network analysis. Bridge symptoms, notably "emotional abuse", "sexual abuse", and "complaints about online time", were significant in linking CM and IA. Conclusion These results underscore the complex relationship between childhood trauma and IA, emphasizing the role of specific symptoms in understanding and addressing internet addiction in adolescents.