ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2026
Leisure Screen Time, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Mental Health Among Chinese Adolescents: Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAdolescence is a critical period for mental health vulnerability alongside rising digital media exposure. Current evidence often fails to distinguish the distinct roles of leisure screen time (LST) quantity and addictive patterns like internet gaming disorder (IGD) on a comprehensive range of mental health outcomes.
objectiveThis study aimed to investigate the independent and joint associations of LST and IGD with multiple mental health conditions among Chinese adolescents.
methodsWe conducted a school-based, cross-sectional survey in Sichuan Province, China. Participants were recruited by random cluster sampling from 20 public schools. The sample comprised 13,240 adolescents (6659/13,240, 50.3% girls) with a mean age of 15.4 (SD 1.6) years. LST was self-reported, and IGD was evaluated using the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-9 Item Short Form (IGDS9-SF). Mental health outcomes included overall mental health status and 5 specific diseases: psychological distress, depression, paranoia, insomnia, and suicidal ideation, all assessed using validated scales.
resultsThe prevalence of excessive LST, IGD, and any mental health disorder was 48.2% (6378/13,240; 95% CI 47.3%-49.0%), 1.4% (188/13,240; 95% CI 1.2%-1.6%), and 55.8% (7387/13,240; 95% CI 54.9%-56.7%), respectively. After adjustment, excessive LST (odds ratio [OR] 1.18, 95% CI 1.09-1.27) and IGD (OR 6.58, 95% CI 5.02-8.62) were independently associated with poor mental health. A dose-response relationship existed for LST quartiles (Q2: OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04-1.26; Q3: OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.12-1.37; Q4: OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.18-1.46; P
conclusionsBoth excessive LST and IGD are independently associated with mental health disorders in adolescents, with IGD showing a substantially stronger association. This study is distinct from prior research by simultaneously investigating both screen time quantity and addictive usage patterns, and by comprehensively assessing 5 distinct mental health outcomes. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the long-term effects.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.