Simulating Interventions for Symptoms Linking Problematic Social Networking Sites Use to Online Aggressive Behavior Among Chinese College Students: A Gender-Differentiated Network Analysis

Abstract

Prior empirical evidence supports the close association between problematic social networking sites use (PSNS) and online aggressive behavior (OAB). However, few studies have examined the potential symptom connection between these two issues as part of a multidimensional mechanism. The current study aims to explore the underlying network structure between PSNS use and OAB and conduct a simulated intervention using the NodeIdentifyR algorithm (NIRA), taking gender into account to further inform the implementation of intervention measures. A total of 1325 participants completed questionnaires that assessed SNS addictive tendencies and online aggression. The symptom-specific intervention simulation analysis was conducted to clarify which symptoms can alleviate or exacerbate the overall performance of PSNS and OAB. Findings indicated that there were significantly different symptom connections in both groups, with no symptom linked to the two behaviors in the male group, while “insomnia” and “instrumental overt aggression” linked the two in the female group (p < 0.05). In addition, “dual existence” may be the most effective alleviating intervention target for both groups (NIRA = 1.34 for males and NIRA = 1.44 for females). Besides, “virtual friend anxiety” and “online relationship satisfaction” should be considered separately for preventive care when dealing with males (NIRA = 1.07) and females (NIRA = 1.37). The findings offer significant implications for gender-specific strategies to alleviate PSNS use and OAB linkage.

Keywords

college students / online aggressive behavior / problematic social networking sites use / symptom network

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