Loneliness and the emergence of problematic online behaviours in young adults: A cross-lagged panel network analysis

Loneliness is a public health priority due to its high prevalence and impact on various health outcomes. It might be associated with problematic internet use that is highly prevalent in young adults. However, its associations with specific problematic online behaviours (POBs) at their early stages of development remains unknown. The present study explored longitudinal associations between loneliness and various POBs in a general population sample of young adults without a history of psychiatric treatment.

Altogether, 1441 individuals were assessed at baseline (aged 29.5 ± 6.3 years, 51.4 % women). The follow-up assessment was scheduled after 6 months and was completed by 733 individuals (aged 30.5 ± 6.0 years, 49.1 % women, retention rate of 50.9 %). The data were collected using self-reports and analyzed using a cross-lagged panel network model.

Higher baseline levels of loneliness predicted higher levels of problematic cybersex, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms at the follow-up. In turn, higher levels of loneliness were predicted by higher baseline levels of problematic online gaming, cyberchondria, and depressive symptoms. The highest output centrality was found for problematic online gaming and shopping. Loneliness was ranked among the nodes with the lowest output centrality in the network. However, it showed the highest auto-regressive effect suggesting its high stability over time.

The findings indicate that loneliness is bidirectionally associated with POBs with problematic online gaming, cyberchondria, and cybersex playing the most important roles in these associations. These observations indicate the necessity to consider loneliness among therapeutic targets among individuals with POBs.