When Risks Accumulate: General Cumulative Risk Amplifies the Adverse Impact of Specific Risk on Problematic Online Behaviors Among Chinese Adolescents

A growing body of research has identified multiple risk factors contributing to adolescents' problematic online behaviors (POBs) and has documented their cumulative effects. However, previous studies have rarely differentiated types of cumulative risk or examined their interactive influences. To address this gap, the present study conceptualized cumulative risk as comprising two distinct dimensions: general cumulative risk (eg parent-child alienation and peer relationship) and specific cumulative risk (eg parental technoference and peer phubbing). Using data from a sample of 2,852 middle school students, this study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to simultaneously examine the predictive effects of both risk dimensions, as well as their interactions, on three domains of POBs: problematic mobile phone use, problematic short video use, and problematic social media use. Results indicated that both general and specific cumulative risk significantly and positively predicted all forms of POBs. Furthermore, with the exception of problematic short video use, general cumulative risk amplified the adverse effects of specific cumulative risk on adolescents' POBs. These findings provide empirical support for an integrative risk model of POBs that elucidates the joint effects of general and specific cumulative risk on problematic online engagement. Theoretical implications for understanding risk processes and practical implications for targeted intervention strategies are discussed.