Associations Between Problematic QQ Use and Mental Health Among Chinese Children and Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis

Abstract

Background: The rise of problematic social media use among children and adolescents is often associated with significant physical and psychosocial effects. In China, QQ, a popular social media platform among youth, has become a major mental health concern due to its excessive use. The present study aimed to explore the association between QQ addiction and negative mental health through a Latent Class Analysis (LCA). Methods: The study data were collected from a sample of 1006 Chinese school students (49.8% male; age M = 13.32, SD = 1.34 years) through a paper-pencil survey using the convenience sampling technique. Results: LCA identified three latent groups based on QQ addiction symptom scores: No-risk (77.2%), At-risk (16.8%), and High-risk (6.0%). The analysis revealed that children and adolescents in the High-risk class exhibited significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, emotional problems, conduct issues, hyperactivity, and peer problems, as well as lower life satisfaction and prosocial behaviors compared to the No-risk and At-risk groups (p < 0.05), signifying a strong association between problematic QQ use and poor mental health. Conclusions: Mental health professionals would benefit from designing intervention plans to mitigate the negative mental health among the High-risk and At-risk classes of problematic QQ users.