The relationship between problematic internet use and psychological distress in older Chinese teachers (40+) during different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: three cross-sectional studies

Xiu-Mei Chen; Li-Feng Wang; Xiao-Ling Liao; Shuai Wang; Lan Yang; I-Hua Chen

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1442852

The relationship between problematic internet use and psychological distress in older Chinese teachers (40+) during different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: three cross-sectional studies

Front Public Health. 2024 Dec 20:12:1442852. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1442852. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Xiu-Mei Chen^{1

2}, Li-Feng Wang¹, Xiao-Ling Liao³, Shuai Wang¹, Lan Yang⁴, I-Hua Chen⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Information Engineering, Shandong Youth University of Political Science, Jinan, China.
² Faculty of Education, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China.
³ Faculty of Education, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China.
⁴ Faculty of Teacher Education, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
⁵ Chinese Academy of Education Big Data, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China.

Abstract

Background: Despite a consensus on the negative implications of problematic internet use (PIU) for mental health, there is a notable gap in research concerning older demographics, particularly older teachers. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of PIU and its impact on the mental wellbeing of this population.

Methods: Three sub-studies were conducted: Study 1 (2020) investigated how fear induced by COVID-19 influenced PIU and psychological distress among 3,929 older teachers. Study 2 (2021) examined the effects of PIU on psychological needs thwarting (the frustration of basic psychological needs) and psychological distress, involving 3,502 participants. Study 3 (2022) explored the impact of PIU on occupational burnout and psychological distress, with 1,276 participants. The Generalized Linear Model in Jamovi 2.3.23 was used to evaluate the three mediation models.

Results: The three sub-studies revealed a high prevalence of PIU among older teachers (27.4% in Study 1, 27.4% in Study 2, and 24.5% in Study 3). High levels of PIU were associated with elevated psychological distress during the 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Study 1, fear of COVID-19 indirectly influenced psychological distress through PIU as a mediator. In Studies 2 and 3, respectively, psychological needs thwarting and occupational burnout mediated the relationship between PIU and psychological distress.

Conclusion: This study confirmed the high prevalence of PIU among older school teachers and the detrimental effect of PIU on psychological needs thwarting, occupational burnout, and psychological distress. Given these findings, education authorities and school management should take proactive steps to mitigate PIU and ensure the health and wellbeing of older teachers.

Keywords: burnout; fear of COVID-19; mediation model; problematic internet use; problematic smartphone use; psychological distress; psychological need thwarting.

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Burnout, Professional / epidemiology
Burnout, Professional / psychology
COVID-19* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / psychology
China / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Fear / psychology
Female
Humans
Internet Addiction Disorder / epidemiology
Internet Addiction Disorder / psychology
Internet Use / statistics & numerical data
Male
Middle Aged
Pandemics
Prevalence
Psychological Distress*
SARS-CoV-2
School Teachers* / psychology
School Teachers* / statistics & numerical data
Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The research was supported by Shanghai Open University Academic Team Cultivation Project “Research Team on the Continuous Development of TPACK for Open University Teachers” (2024TD004).