The Influence of Stressful Life Events on Adolescents' Problematic Internet Use: the Mediating Effect of Self-worth and the Moderating Effect of Physical Activity.

Although prior studies have investigated the association between stressful life events and adolescents' problematic Internet use, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The self-worth orientation theory assumes that self-worth is the ultimate motivation of human behavior, and it derives from a self-worth supporting system, including trust or support from significant others and personal achievement, among others. Therefore, stressful life events might predict adolescents' problematic Internet use by undermining their self-worth. However, physical activity might moderate the effect of stressful life events on self-worth. To examine these hypotheses, 2058 Chinese adolescents (M_age = 14.03 years, SD = 0.83 years) were recruited to complete a series of questionnaires. The results showed that self-worth partially mediated the relationship between stressful life events and problematic Internet use, and physical activity moderated the association between stressful life events and self-worth. In addition, the negative relationship between stressful life events and self-worth was stronger for adolescents with higher levels of physical activity, in line with the reverse risk-buffering model. Further multigroup analysis showed that the current theoretical model was robust in both male and female groups. This study has certain theoretical and practical significance for the prevention of adolescents' problematic Internet use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]