The association between social anxiety and mobile phone addiction: A three-level meta-analysis

Network analysis of social anxiety and problematic mobile phone use in Chinese adolescents: A longitudinal study

Social anxiety is a common comorbid factor of problematic mobile phone use, but the relationship between them from the inside structure has been underexplored. This two-wave longitudinal study aims to identify the central symptoms of problematic mobile phone use and social anxiety, respectively, as well as the bridge symptoms between the two disorders. Furthermore, this study examined the time and gender differences. A total of 3,294 Chinese adolescents were recruited during two waves (T1: January 2023; T2: August 2023), and completed the questionnaires of social anxiety and problematic mobile phone use. Through network analysis, the results showed that 1) the central symptom of problematic mobile phone use was "loss of control" both at T1 and T2, 2) the central symptom of social anxiety was "fear of negative evaluation" both at T1 and T2, and 3) the bridge symptom between social anxiety and problematic mobile phone use was "withdrawal" both at T1 and T2. Moreover, the network comparison test indicated that the nodes of social anxiety were more strongly associated with "craving", "loss of control", and "negative life consequences" of problematic mobile phone use at T2 than at T1. The nodes of social anxiety were more strongly associated with "negative life consequences" of problematic mobile phone use for boys than for girls, while the "fear of negative evaluation" was more strongly associated with "loss of control" for girls than for boys. These findings provide new scientific basis for interventions targeting adolescents who are susceptible to social anxiety and problematic mobile phone use.

The Association Between Child Abuse and Internet Addiction: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis

Child abuse is an important factor for Internet addiction. Despite numerous researches had observed there was a positive correlation between child abuse and Internet addiction, the strength of this association differed considerably in the previous studies. This study aims to obtain reliable estimates for effect sizes and investigate the potential moderator of the association between child abuse and Internet addiction. Thirty-one studies reported the association between child abuse and Internet addiction (273 effect sizes and 55,585 participants) through a systematic literature search. Based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis approach, a three-level model was employed to conduct a three-level meta-analysis. The current meta-analysis found that child abuse was significantly positively correlated with Internet addiction. Besides, the study found that the type of child abuse and publication year had significant moderating effects on the association between child abuse and Internet addiction. This study suggested child abuse was a risk factor for Internet addiction. Moreover, child abuse is an essential factor should be considered when strengthening interventions for individuals' Internet addiction.

Examining the association of family environment and children emotional/behavioral difficulties in the relationship between parental anxiety and internet addiction in youth

Introduction

Associations between parental anxiety and adolescent internet addiction have been documented in the literature; however, few studies have analyzed the role of the family environment in this relationship. This study aims to explore the relationship between parental anxiety and adolescent internet addiction while also investigating the indirect relationships involving multiple dimensions of the family environment and child emotional behavior issues.

Methods

Surveys were conducted among 6,296 parent-child pairs. We administered SDQ, CIAS-R, and FES-CV to assess adolescents' issues and internet addiction, and evaluate family environment. Additionally, parents completed GAD-7 to assess parental anxiety levels.Results: Correlation analysis revealed that the family environment and adolescent emotional behavior issues played an indirect relationship in the link between parental anxiety and internet addiction.

Discussion

The findings emphasize the importance of addressing parental anxiety and fostering a positive family environment as effective measures to alleviate adolescent emotional behavior problems and reduce the risk of internet addiction.

Association between problematic social networking use and anxiety symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

A growing number of studies have reported that problematic social networking use (PSNU) is strongly associated with anxiety symptoms. However, due to the presence of multiple anxiety subtypes, existing research findings on the extent of this association vary widely, leading to a lack of consensus. The current meta-analysis aimed to summarize studies exploring the relationship between PSNU levels and anxiety symptoms, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, attachment anxiety, and fear of missing out. 209 studies with a total of 172 articles were included in the meta-analysis, involving 252,337 participants from 28 countries. The results showed a moderately positive association between PSNU and generalized anxiety (GA), social anxiety (SA), attachment anxiety (AA), and fear of missing out (FoMO) respectively (GA: r = 0.388, 95% CI [0.362, 0.413]; SA: r = 0.437, 95% CI [0.395, 0.478]; AA: r = 0.345, 95% CI [0.286, 0.402]; FoMO: r = 0.496, 95% CI [0.461, 0.529]), and there were different regulatory factors between PSNU and different anxiety subtypes. This study provides the first comprehensive estimate of the association of PSNU with multiple anxiety subtypes, which vary by time of measurement, region, gender, and measurement tool.

Unveiling the relationship between social anxiety, loneliness, motivations, and problematic smartphone use: A network approach

BACKGROUND

Previous studies suggested social anxiety as an essential risk factor for problematic smartphone use, but the complex interactions and the most influential components affecting this relationship remain unclear. This study capitalizes on network analysis to identify the central factors and possible mediating paths among social anxiety, loneliness, five types of motivation, and problematic smartphone use.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Employing 549 emerging adults, we obtained a stable network of the above variables. The central components and the stability of this network were also identified.

RESULTS

Within this network, the edge linking withdrawal behavior and use of application (APP) exhibits the most robust edge intensity. The central components include social comfort, use of APP, withdrawal behavior, and companionship while the bridge central nodes include social anxiety and escapism motivation. The direct link between social anxiety and PSU revealed only fragile edges with both withdrawal behavior and use of APP. Considering the possible mediating pathways, three pathways were observed in our network. Loneliness and escapism mediated the relationship between social anxiety and social comfort. Moreover, another mediating way was from social anxiety, loneliness, social interaction motivation, and escapism motivation to social comfort.

DISCUSSION

Based on the above identification of related components and pathways, future researchers could intervene against problematic smartphone usage in this socially anxious population.

The correlation between mobile phone addiction and procrastination in students: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Mobile phone addiction (MPA) has been extensively researched as an important factor for students' procrastination. However, the direction and magnitudes of the correlation between MPA and procrastination remain unclear. This meta-analysis, thus, aims to explore the relationship between MPA and procrastination in students, as well as the moderating effects of participant's individual characteristics (education level and sex), measurement tools, and social situational factors (publication year and culture).

METHODS

Qualified studies were obtained through a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and Weipu. Meta-analysis was conducted in the CMA 3.0 software, and meta-analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the moderating effect.

RESULTS

A total of 75 studies, including 48,031 participants, were obtained. The combined effect size of the random effects model showed a significant positive correlation between MPA and procrastination in students (r = 0.376, 95 % CI [0.345, 0.406]). Education level, sex, culture, and MPA measurement tools significantly moderated the correlation between MPA and procrastination. However, the correlation was not moderated by the year of publication and the measurement tools of procrastination.

CONCLUSION

MPA is positively correlated with procrastination in students. Given the high incidence of MPA in students and its potential risk factors for procrastination, attention should be paid to the identification and intervention of MPA to prevent students from procrastination.

Attachment Anxiety and Nomophobia: A Moderated Parallel Mediation Model

Nomophobia is the state of being anxious or disturbed when feeling disconnected from the digital world and can have a significant impact on individuals' health and well-being. Drawing upon attachment theory and the previous literature on nomophobia, this study aims to understand how attachment anxiety influences nomophobia and whether this relationship differs between males and females. In the Human Penguin Project (HPP) (N = 1221; 12 countries; participants aged ≥20 years), the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised (ECR-R), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) were used to assess attachment anxiety, alexithymia, perceived stress, and nomophobia, respectively. The results demonstrated that (1) there were significant positive correlations between attachment anxiety, nomophobia, alexithymia, and perceived stress. Additionally, (2) there was a direct and significant effect of attachment anxiety on nomophobia, and alexithymia and perceived stress partially mediated this relationship. Finally, (3) gender significantly moderated the relationship between attachment anxiety and nomophobia. Specifically, the predicted effect was significant in both males and females, but the direct effect of attachment anxiety and nomophobia was stronger in males.

The Association Between Emotion Recognition and Internalizing Problems in Children and Adolescents: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis

Numerous studies have explored the link between how well youth recognize emotions and their internalizing problems, but a consensus remains elusive. This study used a three-level meta-analysis model to quantitatively synthesize the findings of existing studies to assess the relationship. A moderation analysis was also conducted to explore the sources of research heterogeneity. Through a systematic literature search, a total of 42 studies with 201 effect sizes were retrieved for the current meta-analysis, and 7579 participants were included. Emotion recognition was negatively correlated with internalizing problems. Children and adolescents with weaker emotion recognition skills were more likely to have internalizing problems. In addition, this meta-analysis found that publication year had a significant moderating effect. The correlation between emotion recognition and internalizing problems decreased over time. The degree of internalizing problems was also found to be a significant moderator. The correlation between emotion recognition and internalizing disorders was higher than the correlation between emotion recognition and internalizing symptoms. Deficits in emotion recognition might be relevant for the development and/or maintenance of internalizing problems in children and adolescents. The overall effect was small and future research should explore the clinical relevance of the association.

The Association Between Child Abuse and Aggressive Behavior: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis

Child abuse is considered to be an essential factor in the development of aggressive behavior. The intensity of the positive relations between child abuse and aggressive behavior differed considerably among researches despite the fact that abundant studies have observed this relation. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach, a three-level meta-analysis was employed to obtain reliable estimates for the sizes of effects and investigate some potential moderators of the relation between child abuse and aggressive behavior. The present study obtained 51 studies (30,566 participants; 680 effect sizes) through performing the detailed literature search. It was found that child abuse was positively associated with aggressive behavior in the current study. In addition, the present meta-analysis observed significant moderating effects for type of child abuse, culture, measurement of child abuse, and publication year in the association between child abuse and aggressive behavior. This study suggests that child abuse is a predictor for the development of aggressive behavior in humans. Moreover, child abuse is an important aspect for consideration in efforts toward strengthening of interventions targeting individuals' aggressive behavior.

The unique role of smartphone addiction and related factors among university students: a model based on cross-sectional and cross-lagged network analyses

Smartphone addiction is a global problem affecting university students. Previous studies have explored smartphone addiction and related factors using latent variables. In contrast, this study examines the role of smartphone addiction and related factors among university students using a cross-sectional and cross-lagged panel network analysis model at the level of manifest variables. A questionnaire method was used to investigate smartphone addiction and related factors twice with nearly six-month intervals among 1564 first-year university students (M = 19.14, SD = 0.66). The study found that procrastination behavior, academic burnout, self-control, fear of missing out, social anxiety, and self-esteem directly influenced smartphone addiction. Additionally, smartphone addiction predicted the level of self-control, academic burnout, social anxiety, and perceived social support among university students. Self-control exhibited the strongest predictive relationship with smartphone addiction. Overall, self-control, self-esteem, perceived social support, and academic burnout were identified as key factors influencing smartphone addiction among university students. Developing prevention and intervention programs that target these core influencing factors would be more cost-effective.

The association between problematic internet use and social anxiety within adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

Although numerous studies have investigated the association between problematic internet use (PIU) and social anxiety, the findings have no yet reached consistent. The present meta-analysis aims to examine the association between PIU and social anxiety within adolescents and young adults (age range: 14-24 years old).

Method

The meta-analysis systematically retrieved the studies prior to September 7, 2023 from Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, CNKI, and CQVIP. The meta-analysis based on random-effects model to conduct the research. Stata Version 17.0 and JASP 16.3.0 was used to analysis.

Results

The meta-analysis ultimately included 37 studies (37 effect sizes in total), involving a total of 36,013 subjects. Our findings indicated that the overall correlation between PIU and social anxiety was significant positive [r = 0.333, 95% CI (0.292, 0.373), p < 0.001]. Their association was significantly moderated by publication year, measurement tools for PIU and social anxiety but not significantly by culture context, developmental level and gender.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis suggests that social anxiety is a predictor of the development of PIU in adolescents and young adults. Furthermore, the study also finds the possibility that contemporary adolescents and youth may exhibit a more "global" behavior pattern, potentially emphasizing fewer differences between cultures, generations and genders.

Effects of Social Anxiety and Subjective Well-Being on Problematic Mobile Social Media Use in First-Year University Students: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

Background: Problematic mobile social media use may impact college students' physical and mental health. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of social anxiety and subjective well-being on problematic mobile social media use and the mediating role of self-esteem in this relationship. Methods: A total of 387 first-year university students (39.8% females, 60.2% males; mean age = 18.74 years) were enrolled in this study and completed self-report measures of social anxiety, subjective well-being, self-esteem and problematic mobile social media use. A structural equation model was constructed and tested by AMOS 23.0 software. Results: (1) Social anxiety not only had a direct effect on problematic mobile social media use, but also had an indirect effect on problematic mobile social media use via self-esteem. (2) Subjective well-being was positively and significantly associated with self-esteem, as well as problematic mobile social media use. (3) Self-esteem played a suppressing role between subjective well-being and problematic mobile social media use. Conclusions: It is necessary to help college students reduce their social anxiety and increase their subjective happiness through appropriate ways, as this plays an important role in increasing self-esteem and reducing their problematic mobile social media use.

The Impact of Long-Term Online Learning on Internet Addiction Symptoms among Depressed Secondary School Students: Insights from a Cross-Panel Network Analysis

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to online learning have increased the risk of Internet addiction (IA) among adolescents, especially those who are depressed. This study aims to identify the core symptoms of IA among depressed adolescents using a cross-lagged panel network framework, offering a fresh perspective on understanding the interconnectedness of IA symptoms.

METHODS

Participants completed the Internet addiction test and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. A total of 2415 students were initially included, and after matching, only 342 students (a cutoff score of 8) were retained for the final data analysis. A cross-lagged panel network analysis was conducted to examine the autoregressive and cross-lagged trajectories of IA symptoms over time.

RESULTS

The incidence rate of depression rose remarkably from 14.16% (N = 342) to 17.64% (N = 426) after the four-month online learning. The symptom of "Anticipation" exhibited the highest out-expected influence within the IA network, followed by "Stay online longer" and "Job performance or productivity suffer". Regarding the symptom network of depression, "Job performance or productivity suffer" had the highest in-expected influence, followed by "Life boring and empty", "Snap or act annoyed if bothered", "Check email/SNS before doing things", and "School grades suffer". No significant differences were found in global network strength and network structure between waves 1 and 2.

CONCLUSION

These findings prove the negative effects of online learning on secondary students' mental health and have important implications for developing more effective interventions and policies to mitigate IA levels among depressed adolescents undergoing online learning.

The Effect of Emotional Neglect on Cyberbullying among Rural Chinese Left-behind Adolescents-Mediating Role of Social Anxiety

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying is a globally shared youth problem-a problem of the interpersonal conflicts and contradictions that emerge during the socialization of adolescents. In particular, the issue of cyberbullying among rural left-behind adolescents needs to be given high priority. However, previous studies have paid little attention to how emotional neglect and social anxiety affect the cyberbullying behavior of rural left-behind adolescents. Therefore, this study was based on cognitive-behavioral theory to investigate the relationship between emotional neglect, cyberbullying, and social anxiety.

METHODS

This study used the Emotional Neglect Scale, the Cyberbullying Scale, and the Social Anxiety Scale to conduct an anonymous online survey of 1429 rural left-behind adolescents in China.

RESULTS

(1) Emotional neglect, social anxiety, and cyberbullying showed a two-way positive correlation. (2) The direct effect of emotional neglect on rural left-behind youth cyberbullying was significant (β = 0.14, p < 0.00). (3) Social anxiety showed a partial mediating effect in the process of emotional neglect affecting rural left-behind youth cyberbullying, with a mediating effect of 26.32%.

CONCLUSIONS

The results have positive implications for improving relevant policies and constructing mechanisms for protecting the rights and interests of rural left-behind adolescents.

The association between working memory and mathematical problem solving: A three-level meta-analysis

Although working memory (WM) is an important factor in mathematical problem solving (MPS), it remains unclear how well WM relates to MPS. Thus, we aimed to determine this relationship by using a meta-analysis. We searched electronic databases for studies published between 2000 and 2020 and established operational criteria. We conducted Egger’s regression tests and created funnel plots to test for publication bias. Finally, a three-level meta-analytic model analysis of data from 130 studies involving 43,938 participants and 1,355 effect sizes revealed a moderate relationship between WM and MPS (r = 0.280, 95% CI = [0.263, 0.314]). Moreover, moderator analyses showed that: (1) dressed-up word problems were more strongly tied to WM than to intra-mathematical problems; (2) the central executive function showed the strongest relation with MPS, whereas the phonological loop had the weakest; (3) gender ratio had significant moderating effects; and (4) some of the above-mentioned significant moderating effects were unique after controlling for other factors. Implications for research and practice were also discussed.

Nostalgia and consumer behavior

The present review examines how and when nostalgia, a social emotion with a rich history in marketing, affects consumption-relevant outcomes. It comments that in recent years, nostalgia's role within consumer behavior, including advertising, consumption, and product choice operates through feelings of social connectedness, and thus research must consider boundary conditions based on social parameters. Moreover, it discusses the role of nostalgia in buffering the self from threats, how these threats may elicit nostalgia, and the impact on downstream consumption. It finally examines whether nostalgia always does or does not have a positive impact on consumption-relevant outcomes. Across these areas, the review suggests potential future research directions on potential discrepancies that operate through social boundary conditions.

E-sports playing and its relation to lifestyle behaviors and psychological well-being: A large-scale study of collegiate e-sports players in China

BACKGROUND

The research on e-sports mainly concerns the relationship between game playing behavior and Internet addiction, especially among college students. It remained a question of how college students' e-sports playing was associated with their lifestyle behaviors and psychological well-being in China.

OBJECTIVES

Our study aimed to explore whether collegiate e-sports players' e-sports participation behaviors differ across demographic backgrounds and how their e-sports playing relates to their lifestyle behaviors and psychological well-being.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1441 collegiate e-sports players in China. The demographic characteristics of collegiate e-sports players were explored. The Bivariate Person correlation, linear and Tobit regression analyses were used to examine how students' e-sports playing was related to their lifestyle behaviors (i.e., sleep quality and physical activity) and psychological well-being (mobile phone addiction, online game addiction, satisfaction with life, and perceived stress).

RESULTS

The results of independent t-test and ANOVA analyses revealed that students from different grades, majors, family residences, and family structures differed in their e-sports participation behaviors. The results of linear regression and Tobit regression analyses also revealed that students' e-sports participation behaviors were related to their lifestyle behaviors and psychological well-being, except for sleep quality and mobile phone addiction. It is noteworthy that the length of time in playing e-sports and e-sports consumption was related to different lifestyle behaviors and psychological well-being.

CONCLUSION

The findings demonstrated that e-sports playing had penetrated college students' daily life. Appropriate time arrangement and rational e-sports consumption are crucial in promoting a healthy lifestyle and psychological well-being among college students.

The relationship between anxiety and depression with smartphone addiction among college students: The mediating effect of executive dysfunction

Smartphone addiction symptom is increasing globally. Many studies have found that negative emotion is associated with smartphone addiction, but few explore the mediating effect of executive dysfunction. In a large-scale, cross-sectional survey, 421 Chinese college students completed measures on anxiety, depression, smartphone addiction, and executive dysfunction. We surveyed the prevalence of depression, impaired executive function, and smartphone addiction. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the questionnaire structure, and the mediation models were used to examine the relationship between anxiety, depression, impaired executive function, and smartphone addiction. The main finding indicated that anxiety, depression, and executive dysfunction were positively and significantly associated with smartphone addiction. Executive dysfunction plays a mediation role between anxiety and depression with smartphone addiction. Specifically, executive dysfunction completely mediates the pathway of anxiety and smartphone addiction and partly mediates the path of depression and smartphone addiction. Depression directly predicted smartphone addiction positively but anxiety did not. The sample consisted of Chinese college students, which limits generalizability and self-reported lack of objectivity. The result suggests that we should pay more attention to the mediating role of executive dysfunction between negative emotion and smartphone addiction.

Psychological needs satisfaction and smartphone addiction among Chinese adolescents: The mediating roles of social anxiety and loneliness

Objectives

Although previous studies have initially noted that psychological needs satisfaction (PNS) might be a significant risk factor for technology addiction (e.g. online gaming addiction and Internet addiction), specific mechanisms involved in the association between PNS and adolescent smartphone addiction are largely unknown. Based on self-determination theory, this cross-sectional study constructed a multiple mediation model to examine whether PNS will influence adolescent smartphone addiction through the mediating roles of social anxiety and loneliness.

Methods

Eight hundred and ninety-nine Chinese adolescents answered the questionnaire including measures of PNS, social anxiety, loneliness, and smartphone addiction. SPSS 24.0 was used for common method bias test, reliability test, and correlation analysis, and Mplus 7.4 was used to examine the mediating roles of social anxiety and loneliness in the multiple mediation model.

Results

This study found that (1) PNS was negatively associated with adolescent smartphone addiction; (2) loneliness significantly mediated the association between PNS and smartphone addiction while the mediating role of social anxiety in this association was nonsignificant; and (3) social anxiety and loneliness also sequentially mediated this association.

Conclusion

This study further enriched potential mechanisms linking PNS and smartphone addiction among adolescents, which may contribute to intervention and prevention programs for adolescent smartphone addiction from the perspective of improving both PNS and negative emotions including social anxiety and loneliness.

Parental Psychological Control and Addiction Behaviors in Smartphone and Internet: The Mediating Role of Shyness among Adolescents

Parental psychological control has been found to be a vital familial factor that is closely related to adolescents' addiction behaviors with regard to smartphones and the internet. However, the underlying mechanisms of these associations are less clear. The aim of the present study was to examine whether shyness mediated the relationships between parental psychological control and these two addiction behaviors. A positivist paradigm was used in the present study. The questionnaires (parental psychological control, shyness, and smartphone and internet addiction questionnaires) were used to collect data from a sample of 1857 Chinese adolescents (961 female, 896 male) in junior and senior middle schools. Descriptive statistics as well as correlation and mediation tests were employed to analyze the data. We observed that adolescents with siblings showed a higher level of internet addiction than those with no siblings. Moreover, three dimensions of parental psychological control were positively associated with addiction behaviors. The following analyses displayed that the correlation between authority assertion and smartphone addiction was greater than that between authority assertion and internet addiction. Subsequently, shyness was significantly positively related to parental psychological control and addiction behaviors. Importantly, we found that the relations between the three dimensions of parental psychological control and the addiction behaviors concerning smartphones and the internet were partially mediated by shyness. This study contributes to our understanding of how parental psychological control predicts high levels of adolescents' addiction behaviors surrounding smartphones and the internet.

Effects of Physical Exercise on Mobile Phone Addiction in College Students: The Chain Mediation Effect of Psychological Resilience and Perceived Stress

Smartphones have become an integral part of people's daily lives. While bringing convenience, mobile phone addiction caused by overuse of smart phones has become a common phenomenon among college students. The current study aimed to examine the serial mediating role of psychological resilience and perceived stress between physical exercise and mobile phone addiction of college students. Using the PARS-3 scale, CD-RISC-10 scale, PSS-10 scale, and MPA scale, 257 college students were investigated and Structural Equation Model (SEM) was conducted. The results show that: (1) Physical exercise has no significant direct impact on mobile phone addiction. (2) Psychological resilience has a significant mediating effect between physical exercise and mobile phone addiction. But perceived stress does not. (3) Psychological resilience and perceived stress play a chain mediation role. Physical exercise can enhance psychological resilience firstly, thus relieving perceived stress and eventually mitigating mobile phone addiction.

The associations between smartphone addiction and self-esteem, self-control, and social support among Chinese adolescents: A meta-analysis

Background

Smartphone addiction has become a social problem that affects the healthy growth of adolescents, and it is frequently reported to be correlated with self-esteem, self-control, and social support among adolescents.

Methods

A meta-analysis was conducted by searching the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WANFANG DATA, and Chongqing VIP Information Co., Ltd. (VIP) databases. Stata 16.0 was used to analyse the overall effect and test the moderating effect.

Results

Fifty-six studies were included, involving a total of 42,300 participants. Adolescents' smartphone addiction had a moderately negative correlation with self-esteem (r = -0.25, 95% CI = -0.29 to -0.22, p < 0.001), a strong negative correlation with self-control (r = -0.48, 95% CI = -0.53 to -0.42, p < 0.001), and a weak negative correlation with social support (r = -0.16, 95% CI = -0.23 to -0.09, p < 0.001). Moderation analysis revealed that the correlation between adolescents' smartphone addiction and self-esteem was strongest when smartphone addiction was measured with the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale for College Students (MPATS; r = -0.38). The correlation between adolescents' smartphone addiction and self-control was strongest when self-control was measured with the Middle school students' Self-control Ability Questionnaire (MSAQ; r = -0.62). The effect of dissertations on smartphone addiction, self-control, and social support among adolescents was significantly larger than that of journal articles. The correlation between adolescents' smartphone addiction and social support was strongest when smartphone addiction was measured with the Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI; r = -0.24). However, the correlations between adolescents' smartphone addiction and self-esteem, self-control, and social support were not affected by age or gender.

Conclusion

There was a strong relationship between smartphone addiction and self-esteem, self-control, and social support among adolescents. In the future, longitudinal research should be carried out to better investigate the dynamic changes in therelationship between smartphone addiction and self-esteem, self-control, and social support.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42022300061.

Peer Victimization and Adolescent Mobile Social Addiction: Mediation of Social Anxiety and Gender Differences

Social media addiction has become one of the typical problem behaviors during adolescence. The present study examined the mediation of social anxiety between peer victimization and adolescent mobile social addiction and tested whether gender could moderate the direct and indirect effects of peer victimization. 649 adolescents between 12 and 19 years of age (M_age = 14.80, SD_age = 1.82) completed the anonymous survey. The results found that social anxiety was a mediator linking peer victimization to mobile social addiction. Gender could moderate the direct and indirect effects of peer victimization, and these two effects were stronger in girls than in boys. The results highlight the role of social anxiety in explaining how peer victimization was associated with adolescent mobile phone addiction and the role of gender in explaining when or for whom the direct and indirect associations between peer victimization and adolescent mobile social addiction were more potent. The findings would contribute to the intervention of mobile social addiction.

Correlations between smartphone addiction and alexithymia, attachment style, and subjective well-being: A meta-analysis

Background

Smartphone addiction (SA) has become a social problem that affects peoples’ quality of life and is frequently reported to be correlated with alexithymia, avoidant or anxious attachment styles, and subjective well-being. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between SA and alexithymia, attachment style, and subjective well-being.

Methods

A meta-analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The following electronic databases were searched: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WANFANG DATA, and Chongqing VIP Information Co., Ltd. (VIP). Stata 16.0 was used to analyze the overall effect and test the moderating effect.

Results

One hundred and ten studies were included, involving a total of 96,680 participants. SA had a significantly high positive correlation with alexithymia (r = 0.40), attachment anxiety (r = 0.37), and negative emotions (r = 0.31), and a low positive correlation with attachment avoidance (r = 0.17). In addition, there was a high negative correlation between SA and subjective well-being (r = –0.33) and a low negative correlation between SA, life satisfaction (r = –0.17), and positive emotions (r = –0.18). A moderation analysis revealed that age significantly moderated the relationship between SA and positive emotions. The tools for measuring SA significantly moderated the relationship between SA, alexithymia, attachment anxiety, and subjective well-being. Meanwhile, subjective well-being measurement tools significantly moderated the relationships between SA, subjective well-being, and negative emotions.

Conclusion

SA was closely related to alexithymia, attachment style, and subjective well-being. In the future, longitudinal research can be conducted to better investigate the dynamic changes in the relationship between them.

Systematic review registration

[www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/], identifier [CRD42022334798].

Rich Get Richer: Extraversion Statistically Predicts Reduced Internet Addiction through Less Online Anonymity Preference and Extraversion Compensation

Internet addiction may arise from multiple factors and personality tendencies have been previously implicated. Prior studies have found that extraversion may be a protective factor mitigating against internet addiction, yielding a "rich-get-richer" effect. However, few studies have explored how extraversion may influence internet addiction from the perspective of online-offline integration. Drawing on a sample of 428 college students, the current study examined a serial mediation model exploring the underlying mechanisms of how extraversion may statistically predict internet addiction through online-offline integration and antecedent factors. The serial mediation model analyses indicated that extraverted internet users exhibited a weaker preference for online anonymity and less online extraversion compensation, thus formulating a higher level of online-offline integration than introverted individuals, which, in turn, appeared to reduce the risk of internet addiction. In contrast, with regard to specific components of online-offline integration, introverted internet users preferred online anonymity, which reduced their relationship integration and increased their likelihood of internet addiction; similarly, the introverted individuals were also more likely to exhibit an extraversion compensation effect. That is, they were more extraverted on the internet than in general; hence, they had a lower level of self-identity integration, resulting in a greater likelihood of experiencing internet addiction. These results highlight the importance of online-offline integration that may account for personality variations in social and psychological outcomes related to internet use, and suggest a role for online anonymity preference and extraversion compensation in influencing specific components of integration.

Phoning It in: Social Anxiety, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Anxiety Reduction Motivations Predict Phone Use in Social Situations

Based on meta-analysis, a strong link between social anxiety and phone use has been established in the literature, but the underlying mechanisms of why social anxiety might cause people to use their phones are poorly understood. Intolerance of uncertainty is a transdiagnostic factor of many anxiety disorders and may help explain why socially anxious people tend to use their mobile phones as a tool to cope with, or distract from, inherently ambiguous social interactions. This nonexperimental, correlational study had four core aims: to examine whether increases in social anxiety would relate to (1) increased phone usage during social interactions in groups or (2) phone dependency; to examine whether intolerance of uncertainty and motivation of phone use mediated either of these relationships. To test these models, an opportunity sample of 252 participants completed a series of online questionnaires containing measures of social anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and phone usage. Correlational analysis of results showed increased phone dependency and phone use in social groups for people with high social anxiety. Serial mediation analysis showed that people who were more socially anxious also reported higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty, greater motives to use phones to reduce anxiety, and higher phone use. We discuss these results with specific reference to compensatory internet use theory. In sum, it appears that for people with social anxiety, phone use in social situations tends to be motivated by reducing anxiety.