Correlation among psychological resilience, loneliness, and internet addiction among left-behind children in China: A cross-sectional study

Internet addiction has rapidly become a prevalent concern among left-behind children in China. Using the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, this cross-sectional study aims to investigate the correlation among loneliness, psychological resilience, and Internet addiction, as well as determine whether the adverse impact of loneliness could be buffered by psychological resilience. The findings revealed that loneliness positively correlated with Internet addiction, while psychological resilience negatively correlated with Internet addiction. The moderating effect analysis suggested that resilience could alleviate the adverse impact of loneliness on Internet addiction. Specifically, a statistically significantly positive effect of loneliness was noted on Internet addiction among children with low resilience, whereas no significant association between loneliness and Internet addiction was found among those with a high level of resilience. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the psychosocial mechanisms how loneliness might affect Internet addiction among left-behind children in China.