title: A preliminary investigation on the relationship between virtues and pathological internet use among Chinese adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pathological Internet Use (PIU) has become a global issue associated with the increasing number of Internet users. Previous studies concerned both the interpersonal and intrapersonal vulnerable factors and the corresponding models. However, a limited amount of research has explored the relationship between positive factors and PIU.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current investigation attempted to clarify the relationship between virtues and PIU among Chinese adolescents; it also sought to explore the specific contributions of the three virtues. Virtue was the core concept in positive psychology and the Values in Action Classification. A recent study demonstrated that there might be three universal virtues (relationship, vitality, and conscientiousness).
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional sample of adolescents aged 12-17 years were recruited in 2013. A total of 674 adolescents (males = 302, females = 372; junior high school = 296, senior high school = 378) from eight junior and senior high schools in four provinces of Mainland China completed a package of psychological inventories, including the Chinese Virtues Questionnaire (CVQ) and the Adolescent Pathological Internet Use Scale (APIUS). The mean age of the current sample was 15.10 years (SD = 1.81) with an average of 5.31 years' length (SD = 2.09) of Internet use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 9.50% participants exhibited significant symptoms of PIU. Male students (Mmale = 2.50) had significantly higher scores on PIU than female students (Mfemale = 2.25). Relationship (β = -.24) and conscientiousness (β = -.21) negatively predicted PIU, whereas vitality (β = .25) positively predicted PIU. Dominance analysis further revealed that relationship and conscientiousness could explain 81% variance of PIU, and vitality only accounted for another 19%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relationship and conscientiousness were possible protective factors of pathological Internet users, while vitality was vulnerable. The results could be helpful in screening "at-risk" Internet users (low relationship and conscientiousness as well as high vitality). Future intervention strategies could focus on how to enhance relationship and conscientiousness and on how to reduce vitality.
authors.affiliation: Center of Studies for Psychology and Social Development, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.|School of Cultural and Social Development Studies, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Yonghong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Cultural and Social Development Studies, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Zhihan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Wenjie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoqing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Fengchun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Office of Academic Affairs, The Sixteenth Middle School of Changzhi City, Shanxi, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Chongqing Cultural Development Research Institute, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Jinxia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Party Committee Office, Hospital (T. C. M) Affiliated to Luzhou Medical College, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang