AUTHOR=Cai Jingjing , Wang Yun , Wang Feng , Lu Jingjing , Li Lu , Zhou Xudong 

TITLE=The Association of Parent-Child Communication With Internet Addiction in Left-Behind Children in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=66

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2021.630700

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2021.630700

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective: </bold>Internet addiction has emerged as a growing concern worldwide. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of Internet addiction between left-behind children (LBC) and non-left-behind children (non-LBC), and explore the role of paternal and maternal parent-child communication on LBC.</p><p><bold>Methods: </bold>We conducted a cross-sectional survey in rural areas in Anhui, China. The complete data were available from 699 LBC and 740 non-LBC. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine 1) whether LBC were more likely to develop Internet addiction, and 2) the association between parent-child communication and Internet addiction among LBC.</p><p><bold>Results: </bold>LBC had a higher likelihood to report Internet addiction when compared to non-LBC (OR = 2.03, 95%CI = 1.43–2.88, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Among LBC, parent-child communication (both mother-child and father-child) was protective factor for children’s Internet addiction. The role of mother-child communication played well among male LBC.</p><p><bold>Conclusions: </bold>The lack of parental supervision may lead to Internet addiction. It is highly recommended for migrant parents to improve the quality of communication with their children. Also, gender-matching effects should be considered in the relationship between children’s behavior and parental factors.</p>