Nonlinear associations between punishment sensitivity and problematic Internet use among adolescents: Results from cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses

IF 4.4 1区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-05-07 DOI:10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100689

Jin-Peng Wang , Jia-Qi Zhang , Ya Zheng , Kesong Hu , Sheng-Hao Zhang , Jing Xiao , Qi Li

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

The Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model assumes that personal components, such as punishment sensitivity (PS), affect problematic Internet use (PIU) by influencing the way individuals perceive the situation. However, previous studies exploring the relationship between PS and PIU have yielded inconsistent findings. One plausible explanation for this inconsistency is the potential nonlinearity of the relationship between PS and PIU. The purpose of the present study is to examine the curvilinear association between PS and PIU among adolescents.

Method

In Study 1, we assessed 7555 participants using Behavioral Inhibition System Scales and Internet Addiction Test to measure PS and PIU. In Study 2, 506 participants were recruited to complete the Mixed Gambles Task and Internet Addiction Test to evaluate PS and PIU respectively. In Study 3, we conducted two waves of surveys within a one-year interval, with 1824 participants completing a battery of scales measuring their PS, anxiety, self-control, and PIU.

Results

The results from Study 1 and Study 2 revealed a U-shaped association between PS and PIU. The results in Study 3 indicated that when PS was low, self-control mediated the relationship between PS and PIU. When PS was high, anxiety mediated the association between PS and PIU.

Conclusions

These preliminary results emphasize the importance of considering the nonlinear association between PS and PIU, expanding the I-PACE model. Furthermore, this study offers empirical evidence in support of tailored treatment and intervention approaches for PIU, taking into account their varying levels of PS.

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青少年惩罚敏感性与有问题的网络使用之间的非线性关联：来自横断面和纵向分析的结果

目的：人-情感-认知-执行交互作用（I-PACE）模型假设惩罚敏感性（PS）等个人成分通过影响个体感知情境的方式来影响问题性网络使用（PIU）。然而，先前的研究探索了PS和PIU之间的关系，得出了不一致的结果。对这种不一致的一个合理解释是PS和PIU之间关系的潜在非线性。本研究的目的是探讨青少年的主观幸福感与主观幸福感之间的曲线关系。方法研究1采用行为抑制系统量表和网络成瘾测试对7555名被试进行PS和PIU测量。在研究2中，招募了506名参与者分别完成混合赌博任务和网络成瘾测试来评估PS和PIU。在研究3中，我们在一年的间隔内进行了两波调查，1824名参与者完成了一系列测量他们的PS，焦虑，自我控制和PIU的量表。结果研究1和研究2的结果显示PS和PIU呈u型关系。研究3的结果表明，当PS较低时，自我控制介导了PS与PIU之间的关系。当PS较高时，焦虑介导了PS与PIU之间的关系。这些初步结果强调了考虑PS和PIU之间非线性关联的重要性，扩展了I-PACE模型。此外，本研究提供了经验证据，支持针对PIU量身定制的治疗和干预方法，考虑到他们不同的PS水平。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL-

CiteScore

10.70

自引率

5.70%

发文量

审稿时长

33 days

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology is dedicated to publishing manuscripts with a strong emphasis on both basic and applied research, encompassing experimental, clinical, and theoretical contributions that advance the fields of Clinical and Health Psychology. With a focus on four core domains—clinical psychology and psychotherapy, psychopathology, health psychology, and clinical neurosciences—the IJCHP seeks to provide a comprehensive platform for scholarly discourse and innovation. The journal accepts Original Articles (empirical studies) and Review Articles. Manuscripts submitted to IJCHP should be original and not previously published or under consideration elsewhere. All signing authors must unanimously agree on the submitted version of the manuscript. By submitting their work, authors agree to transfer their copyrights to the Journal for the duration of the editorial process.