Narrative systematic review links internet addiction to emotional dysregulation in hospitalized adolescents

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Frontiers in Medicine Published May 18, 2026 Medically reviewed May 18, 2026 DOI ↗ By Dr. Ji-eun Park, MD · Brain, Mind & Pain

Key Takeaway

Consider that hospitalized adolescents with internet addiction may benefit from interventions targeting emotional dysregulation and social compensation.

This is a narrative systematic review examining the mechanisms of internet addiction in hospitalized adolescents within inpatient medical settings. The authors synthesize qualitative findings from the literature, proposing a theoretical model rather than reporting pooled quantitative results.

The review identifies two key mechanisms: emotional dysregulation and social compensation. Medical stressors lower emotional tolerance thresholds, reinforcing online escape behaviors. Forced social deprivation in inpatient settings triggers social compensation motivation, while restrictions on electronic device use create compensatory frustration that paradoxically accelerates addiction progression. The strength of this self-reinforcing loop is amplified by longer hospitalization duration and greater disease severity.

A major limitation acknowledged by the authors is significant methodological heterogeneity across included studies, with an I² >75% in a pilot meta-regression, indicating high inconsistency. No pooled effect sizes, sample sizes, or specific interventions are reported. The review does not provide data on adverse events or comparative effectiveness.

Clinically, the review offers a theoretical foundation for developing precision mental health interventions in inpatient settings. However, due to the lack of quantitative synthesis and high heterogeneity, the findings should be considered hypothesis-generating rather than practice-changing. Further research with standardized measures is needed.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis

EvidenceLevel 1

PublishedMay 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

Hospitalized adolescents face unique medical and psychosocial stressors that elevate their risk of internet addiction, yet mainstream theoretical frameworks such as the I-PACE model fail to adequately capture context-specific mechanisms within inpatient medical settings. This narrative systematic review systematically searched four databases (Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus) from database inception to September 30, 2025, in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, to map existing evidence on the dual mediating pathways of emotional dysregulation and social compensation underlying internet addiction in adolescent inpatient populations. Given significant methodological heterogeneity across included studies (I² >75% in pilot meta-regression), a narrative synthesis approach aligned with ENTREQ guidelines was employed for thematic integration, rather than quantitative meta-analysis. Key findings are as follows (1): Medical stressors prime emotional dysregulation in hospitalized adolescents, lowering their emotional tolerance thresholds and reinforcing online escape behaviors (2); Forced social deprivation in inpatient settings triggers social compensation motivation, while institutional restrictions on electronic device use create a phenomenon of “compensatory frustration” that paradoxically accelerates addiction progression (3); These two pathways form a self-reinforcing loop, the strength of which is amplified by longer hospitalization duration and greater disease severity. The Hospital-Adapted Moderated Dual Mediation Model proposed in this review extends the classic I-PACE framework by integrating inpatient-specific contextual moderators and provides a theoretical foundation for the development of precision mental health interventions in clinical settings.