Resilience and coping styles mediate the associations of autistic and ADHD traits with internet addiction in general adolescents

This study aims to investigate the associations of autistic traits and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits with internet addiction (IA) in general adolescents, and to examine the mediating roles of resilience and coping styles. A cross-sectional design was employed, involving 3003 middle school students. Data collection utilized the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV Rating Scale (SNAP-IV), the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (RSCA), the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), and the Revised Chinese Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS-R). Participants were divided into internet addiction (IA) and non-addiction groups based on the CIAS-R cutoff score of 53, with group differences analyzed via independent samples t-tests/Mann-Whitney U tests. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to explore variable associations. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was constructed to test mediating effects, with the Bootstrap method (5000 resamplings) used for pathway validation. The IA group exhibited significantly higher scores on the ASSQ, SNAP-IV, and negative coping, along with lower scores on the RSCA and positive coping (p < 0.05). Significant correlations were observed among all variables (p < 0.01). Internal resilience, negative coping, and the “resilience → negative coping” serial pathway mediated the associations between ASSQ, SNAP-IV, and CIAS-R. External resilience uniquely mediated the relationship between SNAP-IV and CIAS-R. Resilience and coping styles mediate autistic traits, ADHD traits, and IA. Moreover, the associative pathways of these two traits differ. These findings provide preliminary insights into the psychological mechanisms underlying the associations between autistic traits, ADHD traits and IA in adolescents.