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BackgroundAdolescent Internet gaming addiction (IGA) is an pincreasing global concern. Drawing on self-control theory, social support theory, and problem behavior theory, this study aimed to examine the relationships between low self-control, perceived social support, and IGA among Chinese Yi and Non-Yi adolescents, with a focus on the moderating role of perceived social support and ethnic differences.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,997 adolescents (53.78% female, mean age 14.70 years) in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, using a multi-stage cluster random sampling method. Participants completed questionnaires assessing IGA (Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form), low self-control (Low Self-Control Scale), and perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, OLS regression, and the seemingly unrelated estimator (SUE).ResultsLow self-control was positively associated with IGA (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), while perceived social support was negatively associated with IGA (β = -0.27, p < 0.001). Perceived social support, particularly from family (β = -0.43, p < 0.05) and significant others (β = -0.49, p < 0.01), moderated the relationship between low self-control and IGA. These associations were more salient among Yi adolescents compared to non-Yi adolescents.ConclusionsThis study highlights the protective role of perceived social support, especially from family and significant others, in buffering the risk of low self-control on IGA. The findings extend self-control theory and social support theory, and provide empirical support for problem behavior theory in a cross-cultural context. The results underscore the importance of considering cultural contexts in understanding IGA and developing targeted interventions for ethnic minority adolescents.

Using psychological network analysis, this study explored the heterogeneity of the network structure between extracurricular time-use and delinquency using a nationally representative longitudinal survey of at-school students in China (N = 10,279, 47.3% female, average age 13.6, 91.2% Han ethnicity). The results are threefold: First, time stimulation of activities occurs on weekdays, while time displacement and stimulation occur on weekends. Second, delinquent behaviors are positively correlated, forming a problem behavior syndrome. Smoking or drinking is the central delinquent behavior. Third, negative consequences of specific time-use behaviors are more likely to occur on weekends than on weekdays, and time-use behavior may function differently on weekdays versus weekends. Among them, going to coffeenets or game-centers serves as the bridge with the highest potential of triggering delinquency.

Analysts of discrete data often face the challenge of managing the tendency of inflation on certain values. When treated improperly, such phenomenon may lead to biased estimates and incorrect inferences. This study extends the existing literature on single-value inflated models and develops a general framework to handle variables with more than one inflated value. To assess the performance of the proposed maximum likelihood estimator, we conducted Monte Carlo experiments under several scenarios for different levels of inflated probabilities under multinomial, ordinal, Poisson, and zero-truncated Poisson outcomes with covariates. We found that ignoring the inflations leads to substantial bias and poor inference of the inflations--not only for the intercept(s) of the inflated categories but other coefficients as well. Specifically, higher values of inflated probabilities are associated with larger biases. By contrast, the generalized inflated discrete models (GIDMs) perform well with unbiased estimates and satisfactory coverages even when the number of parameters that need to be estimated is quite large. We showed that model fit criteria, such as Akaike information criterion, could be used in selecting the appropriate specifications of inflated models. Lastly, the GIDM was implemented using large-scale health survey data as a comparison to conventional modeling approaches such as various Poisson and Ordered Logit models. We showed that the GIDM fits the data better in general. The current work provides a practical approach to analyze multimodal data that exists in many fields, such as heaping in self-reported behavioral outcomes, inflated categories of indifference and neutral in attitude surveys, large amounts of zero, and low occurrences of delinquent behaviors.

General Strain Theory (GST) was applied to understand the emergence of cyberbullying during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, how contextual stress and network attributes contributed to cyberbullying perpetration has yet to be explored. Thus, to fill this gap in the literature, this study surveyed 494 young adults from one college of a university in China during the COVID-19 lockdown. The contextual stress was measured by the average stress reported by each individual's self-nominated peer. Logit regression with interactive terms was conducted to investigate whether network attributes moderate the stress-cyberbullying nexus. The results revealed that cyberbullying perpetration was directly triggered by individual stress rather than contextual stress. Further, young adults with increased individual stress had a higher probability of cyberbullying perpetration, if their betweenness was high. Notably, for those with elevated betweenness, the association between contextual stress and cyberbullying perpetration was attenuated. Our findings provide novel insights into understanding cyberbullying phenomenon during the pandemic. Roles of individual stress and contextual stress on trigging cyberbully perpetration varied with one's network position. Both the network analysis and the GST theory had significant potential to be applied in further cyberbullying studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study assesses the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (C-ZTPI-20) in an adolescent population. Methods: The investigation encompasses a sample of 2634 middle school students from China and aims to evaluate the instrument's reliability, structural validity, measurement invariance, criterion validity, and network structure attributes. Results: First, descriptive analysis revealed satisfactory reliabilities for four out of five C-ZTPI-20 dimensions, with Present Fatalistic (PF) exhibiting relatively low reliability. Moreover, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported the 5-dimensional structure across all samples and sexes, albeit with a modest Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) for girls. Furthermore, measurement invariance analysis underscores unbiased assessment across sexes. Sex differences emerge in the Present Hedonistic (PH) dimension, where boys showed higher scores. Furthermore, criteria validity analysis revealed that Past Positive (PP) and Future (F) were positively associated with extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, grit, and mental health, while they were negatively associated with neuroticism. Past Negative (PN) and PF showed inverse trends, while PH perspective demonstrated complex, varied correlations with these psychological traits, underscoring the multifaceted nature of time perspectives. Finally, network analysis revealed positive inter-correlations within dimensions and significant edge differences between sexes, particularly in inter-dimension connections. Despite differing rankings, the most central and marginal items remained consistent between boys and girls in network models. Conclusion: These findings contribute to understanding the C-ZTPI-20's effectiveness in assessing adolescent time perspectives and inform interventions promoting psychological well-being and coping strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using psychological network analysis, this study explored the heterogeneity of the network structure between extracurricular time‐use and delinquency using a nationally representative longitudinal survey of at‐school students in China (N = 10,279, 47.3% female, average age 13.6, 91.2% Han ethnicity). The results are threefold: First, time stimulation of activities occurs on weekdays, while time displacement and stimulation occur on weekends. Second, delinquent behaviors are positively correlated, forming a problem behavior syndrome. Smoking or drinking is the central delinquent behavior. Third, negative consequences of specific time‐use behaviors are more likely to occur on weekends than on weekdays, and time‐use behavior may function differently on weekdays versus weekends. Among them, going to coffeenets or game‐centers serves as the bridge with the highest potential of triggering delinquency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the differences in parenting practices and their effects on juvenile delinquency between China and the United States. Its principal goal is to gain a more culturally relevant understanding of the possible ways of preventing delinquency through the improvement of parenting styles. The analyses were based on a nationally representative sample of American adolescents and a probability sample of Chinese adolescents in the same age group. To increase data comparability, the study employed similar measures of parenting practices and delinquency in the two samples. The analysis indicated that the American adolescents perceived a higher level of parental responsiveness but a lower level of parental control than did the Chinese adolescents. While parental responsiveness was inversely related to delinquency in both samples, parental control predicted lower delinquency only in the U.S. sample. Moreover, the negative relationship between parental monitoring and delinquency was stronger among the American adolescents than among the Chinese adolescents. The results underscore the need to consider cultural differences when assessing the impact of parenting practices on delinquency, or when applying the research findings to delinquency prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With widespread internet and social media use among youngsters, cyberbullying has emerged as a novel form of bullying. According to the routine activity and lifestyle theories, cyberbullying and victimization overlap significantly. However, the nature and mechanism of the overlap is not yet adequately understood. This study contributes to extant literature by investigating the role of network structure in cyberbullying-victimization overlap. Participants included 520 residential students from a single department of a Chinese university. This study applied prevalent, bivariate, and social network approach to investigate the overlap. Linear regressions with interactive terms are applied to investigate the moderating effect of network structure. First, the results revealed that the overlap phenomenon is robust against different approaches. Second, the findings demonstrated that indegree significantly moderates the effect of victimization on the perpetration of cyberbullying. Third, for betweenness and closeness, neither direct effect nor moderating effect, is statistically significant. Overall, cyberbullying-victimization overlaps among surveyed Chinese university students and social network may moderate the relationship between cyberbullying and victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have established a link between prior victimization and subsequent victimization, although research in the context of fraud victimization, particularly among older adults, remains limited. To address this research gap, this study examines data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a national survey of older Chinese adults, to explore the occurrence of re-victimization in fraud and the influence of routine activities on re-victimization. The findings of this study are threefold. First, a higher number of previous fraud victimizations significantly increases the likelihood of experiencing subsequent fraud exposure and loss. Second, the diversity and frequency of routine activities have a significant impact on fraud exposure and mitigate the effect of prior victimization on subsequent fraud loss. Third, both leisure and non-leisure routine activities contribute positively to fraud exposure, but the moderating effect is observed only in the case of leisure activities, instead of non-leisure activities. This research underscores the importance of considering the relationship between previous victimization and subsequent victimization in the context of fraud, specifically among older adults. These findings contribute to the understanding of re-victimization dynamics and offer insights for developing targeted prevention strategies to reduce fraud victimization among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rampancy of corruption in China has stimulated a wide range of scholarly attention on its etiology. The general strain theory (GST) predicts that the economics-related strain, promotion-related strain, and work-related strain increase white-collar offenses. However, the generalizability of GST's prediction of white-collar offenses in non-Western societies is unclear. Applying a sequential exploratory mixed-method design, this study involved interviews with 23 grassroot public officials, convicted for corruption, and surveyed 687 similar offenders in 60 prisons in China. The qualitative results show that previously mentioned strains are not sufficient to explain the strains that lead to corruption in Chinese public officials. Strains rooted in the unique political system and cultural values of China (resources strain, deviant subcultural strain, and Renqing (personal interests) strain) are also shown to be associated with corruption. The quantitative results indicate that all six types of strains are significantly and positively associated with the frequency of corrupt behavior. The current study not only expands the scope of GST to non-Western societies, but also provides suggestions on further revision and extension of GST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]