Internet addiction and academic procrastination among Chinese rural junior high school students: a moderated mediation model examining the roles of psychological and environmental factors

Academic procrastination is a concerning behavior that could have detrimental effects on students. The rising prevalence of Internet overuse, or Internet addiction, among adolescents has intensified psychological issues, including depressive symptoms and loneliness, thereby contributing to academic procrastination. However, environmental factors, such as family functioning and teacher support, may play crucial roles in alleviating the effects of Internet addiction on procrastination. This study aims to explore the mediating effects of psychological disorders and the moderating effects of environmental factors on the relationship between Internet addiction and academic procrastination. A cross-sectional study involving 3219 Chinese rural junior high school students was conducted. Data were collected using several instruments, including the Internet Addiction Questionnaire, the Academic Procrastination Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Family Adaptation Partnership Growth Affection Resolution Scale, and the Perceived Teacher Support Scale. Hierarchical multiple regression and moderated mediation analyses were employed to examine the relationships among Internet addiction (X), psychological disorders (M), environmental factors (W), and academic procrastination (Y). Among the 3219 participants, 14.23% had academic procrastination behaviors. Hierarchical linear regression results indicated that higher Internet addiction scores were related to more severe academic procrastination (β = 0.30, 95% CI [0.27, 0.33]). Mediation analysis confirmed that depressive symptoms (indirect effect = 0.12, 95% CI [0.10, 0.14]) and loneliness (indirect effect = 0.06, 95% CI [0.04, 0.08]) had indirect effects on this relationship. Moderated mediation analysis showed that better family functioning moderated the effect of Internet addiction on academic procrastination by attenuating the severity of psychological disorders, whereas higher levels of teacher support could moderate the effect of Internet addiction on psychological disorders. Psychological disorders may exacerbate the negative effect of Internet addiction on academic procrastination, whereas improved family functioning and increased levels of teacher support could help moderate this effect.