The correlation between mobile phone addiction and coping style among Chinese adolescents: a meta-analysis

Are smartphones a tool to cope with the fear of childbirth? The correlation between the fear of loss of connection and the fear of childbirth

OBJECTIVE

With the spread of smartphones, they have become an indispensable part of life, and nomophobia (No-Mobile-Phone Phobia) has emerged.

METHODS

The present research is a cross-sectional study and was conducted with 3,870 primiparous pregnant women between April and May 2022. The research data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Nomophobia Questionnaire, and Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire.

RESULTS

The Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire score of the pregnant women who participated in the study was 22.3% (n=863) had a clinical fear of childbirth and 19.5% (n=753) had extreme nomophobia. Considering the correlation of the Nomophobia Questionnaire and Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire scores with other variables, it was found that the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire scores increased with the increasing Nomophobia Questionnaire total score (p=0.000, r=236) and the Nomophobia Questionnaire total score and fear of childbirth increased with an increase in the daily phone usage time. It was also revealed that women who had smartphone applications related to fetal development had higher nomophobia levels (p=0.0001), while they had a lower fear of childbirth.

CONCLUSION

This study found that one in every five pregnant women was extremely nomophobic and had a clinical fear of childbirth and that nomophobia and the fear of childbirth were correlated at the clinical level. In this regard, women should prefer face-to-face communication rather than smartphones throughout the pregnancy period.

The effect of smartphone addiction on adolescent health: the moderating effect of leisure physical activities

BACKGROUND

Smartphone addiction is a growing concern, especially among adolescents, due to its negative impact on health. This study examines how leisure physical activity influence this relationship.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction and adolescent health, examining the mediating role of loneliness and the moderating effect of leisure physical activity.

METHODS

A survey of 1271 Chinese university students was conducted using the PAPS Health and Fitness Scale, Smartphone Addiction Scale, and Leisure Time Exercise Scale.

RESULTS

Smartphone addiction negatively affects adolescent health. Loneliness mediates this relationship, while leisure physical activity moderates it. High levels of physical activity reduce the negative impact of loneliness on health (bsimple = -0.49, P < 0.001), whereas low levels enhance this impact (bsimple = -0.21, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

These research have practical implications for preventing and reducing smartphone addiction and offer a theoretical foundation for promoting healthier lifestyles among adolescents.

The interplay of psychological resilience and adolescent mobile phone addiction in Henan province, China: insights from latent class analysis

Background

The aim of this study was to classify distinct subgroups of adolescents based on the severity levels of their mobile phone addiction and to investigate how these groups differed in terms of their psychosocial characteristics. We surveyed a total of 2,230 adolescents using three different questionnaires to assess the severity of their mobile phone addiction, stress, anxiety, depression, psychological resilience, and personality. Latent class analysis was employed to identify the subgroups, and we utilized Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and multinomial logistic regression for statistical analysis. All data analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.5.

Methods

We classified the subjects into subgroups based on their mobile phone addiction severity, and the results revealed a clear pattern with a three-class model based on the likelihood level of mobile phone addiction (p < 0.05). We examined common trends in psychosocial traits such as age, grade at school, parental education level, anxiety levels, and resilience. ROC analysis of sensitivity versus 1-specificity for various mobile phone addiction index (MPAI) scores yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.893 (95% CI, 0.879 to 0.905, p < 0.001). We also determined diagnostic value indices for potential cutoff points ranging from 8 to 40. The optimal cutoff value for MPAI was found to be >14, which corresponded to the maximum Youden index (Youden index = 0.751).

Results

The latent classification process in this research confirmed the existence of three distinct mobile phone user groups. We also examined the psychosocial characteristics that varied in relation to the severity levels of addiction.

Conclusion

This study provides valuable insights into the categorization of adolescents based on the severity of mobile phone addiction and sheds light on the psychosocial characteristics associated with different addiction levels. These findings are expected to enhance our understanding of mobile phone addiction traits and stimulate further research in this area.

Changes in Chinese college students' mobile phone addiction over recent decade: The perspective of cross-temporal meta-analysis

In recent years, with the rapid advancement of Internet technology and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile phones have been used more frequently, the development trend of mobile phone addiction among Chinese college students is a concern to society. This cross-temporal meta-analysis provides compelling evidence of the rising trend of mobile phone addiction in Chinese college students based on data from 42 independent studies (Sample Size = 49,544) over the past decade (2013-2022), and discuss the three important rising periods. Furthermore, extended research has revealed correlated factors of mobile phone addiction among Chinese college students, including gender, anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, well-being, social support, and resilience. Additionally, the study identified the National internet penetration rate and the National GDP index as significant predictors of mobile phone addiction in Chinese college students. These findings not only reveal the changing trends of mobile phone addiction among Chinese college students, but also enrich the understanding of mobile phone addiction among this population and provide a reference for improving mobile phone addiction among in the future.

The prospective associations among time management tendency, negative emotions, and problematic smartphone use in Chinese nursing students: enlightenment from COVID-19

Purpose

The regularity of epidemic prevention and control measures in China has meant that nursing students have been exposed to more electronic devices, while problematic smartphone use has increased. The purpose of this study is to determine the prospective associations among time management tendency, negative emotions, and problematic smartphone use in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A longitudinal study was conducted between November 2021 and May 2022. A total of 989 nursing students participated. The convenience sampling method was adopted and the following tools were used: the Adolescence Time Management Disposition Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - 21, and the Mobile Phone Addiction Index. Multiple parallel mediation models were used by Mplus.

Results

Time management tendency had a significantly negative effect on problematic smartphone use (p < 0.05). Further tests using mediation models showed that stress as a negative emotion mediated the relationship between time management tendency and problematic smartphone use (p < 0.05) over time.

Conclusion

Nursing educators need to strengthen the stress resistance and time management ability of nursing students.

Exploring the Relationship between Smartphone Addiction, Quality of Life, and Personality Traits in University Students

Objective: This study aimed to explore the dynamics of the relationship among smartphone addiction, quality of life, and personality characteristics in university students. Method : This correlational and descriptive research was conducted to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction, quality of life, and personality traits among university students. Using a nonprobability random sampling method, 496 university students were selected. Data collection involved the Student Information Form, Smartphone Addiction Scale, Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Abridged Form (EPQR-A), and the WHO Quality of Life Scale-Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF). Statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS 25.0, utilizing Chi-square tests, independent sample t-tests, and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: Out of 496 students (average age of 20.52), 59.87% were identified as smartphone addicts based on the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. A notable difference was found by study year (P = 0.009) and socioeconomic status (P = 0.003). Participants with smartphone addiction registered higher SCL-90-r scores for conditions like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Interpersonal Sensitivity, and Psychoticism. The Eysenck Personality Inventory highlighted that the Psychoticism score was significantly higher in the group with smartphone addiction (P = 0.001). A negative correlation between smartphone addiction scores and general health (WHOQoL) was identified, whereas a positive correlation with SCL-90-R's Psychoticism dimension score was observed (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Smartphone addiction is widespread among university student population. The study indicates that smartphone addiction not only impacts the individual's quality of life but also is associated with personality disorders, and these problems intensify with the severity of addiction. The findings underscore the need for interventions and educational programs to address smartphone addiction in this population.

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Mobile Phone Addiction Among Mainland Chinese Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis

In recent years, the problem of mobile phone addiction (MPA) has become increasingly serious among mainland Chinese adolescents. Studies have found that self-esteem may be related to MPA, but the conclusions are inconsistent. Consequently, this meta-analysis aims to explore the real relationship between self-esteem and MPA, and analyze the moderator variables. The relevant studies used in meta-analysis were obtained by searching China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang Data, Chongqing VIP Information Co., Ltd. (VIP), PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Medline and Embase. Then articles were screened and coded, and statistical analysis was carried out by Stata 16.0 software. A total of 45,765 participants from 64 articles were included in the research. Meta-analysis showed that there was a moderate negative correlation between self-esteem and MPA(r = -.25, 95%CI = -.29, -.21). Subgroup analysis and meta-regression analysis showed that the age and publication time can significantly moderate the relationship between self-esteem and MPA, but MPA measurement instrument, gender, region and publication type have no significant moderating effect. The current meta-analysis provided solid evidence that self-esteem was negatively correlated with MPA. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the causality between them, so as to make more specific practice and policy recommendations.

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.

An umbrella review of the benefits and risks associated with youths' interactions with electronic screens

The influence of electronic screens on the health of children and adolescents and their education is not well understood. In this prospectively registered umbrella review (PROSPERO identifier CRD42017076051 ), we harmonized effects from 102 meta-analyses (2,451 primary studies; 1,937,501 participants) of screen time and outcomes. In total, 43 effects from 32 meta-analyses met our criteria for statistical certainty. Meta-analyses of associations between screen use and outcomes showed small-to-moderate effects (range: r = -0.14 to 0.33). In education, results were mixed; for example, screen use was negatively associated with literacy (r = -0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.20 to -0.09, P ≤ 0.001, k = 38, N = 18,318), but this effect was positive when parents watched with their children (r = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.28, P = 0.028, k = 12, N = 6,083). In health, we found evidence for several small negative associations; for example, social media was associated with depression (r = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.19, P ≤ 0.001, k = 12, N = 93,740). Limitations of our review include the limited number of studies for each outcome, medium-to-high risk of bias in 95 out of 102 included meta-analyses and high heterogeneity (17 out of 22 in education and 20 out of 21 in health with I2 > 50%). We recommend that caregivers and policymakers carefully weigh the evidence for potential harms and benefits of specific types of screen use.

Intervention Effect of Mindfulness-Based Mental Health Education Therapy on Adolescents Mobile Phone Addiction and Cognitive Tendency

Background

Teenagers are more prone to mobile phone addiction than other age groups due to their lack of self-control. This addiction to mobile phones severely affects their physical and mental health, causing irreversible harm as they grow older. As such, exploring suitable psychotherapy for their physical and mental development needs is essential, in ways that effectively change teenagers' mobile phone addictive behaviors.

Methods

An experimental study was conducted on 910 teenage volunteers recruited from 5 communities in Gansu, Hebei, and Liaoning Provinces in China from May to July 2023. The participants were screened using the Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale (MPAI). On the basis of the evaluation results, 56 individuals were selected based on the evaluation results and randomly divided into experimental and control groups, each comprising 28 individuals. The experimental group underwent an 8-week mindfulness-based mental health education therapy. Both groups were measured before and after the intervention.

Results

The mobile phone addiction score of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.001). The cognitive tendency score and mental wellbeing score of the experimental group was significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.001).

Conclusion

Mindfulness-based mental health education therapy effectively alleviates teenagers' mobile phone addiction and improves their cognitive tendencies and mental health. This approach serves as a valuable reference for effectively preventing and managing mobile phone addiction among teenagers.

The relationship between loneliness and problematic smartphone use among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of negative emotions and maladaptive coping

INTRODUCTION

Given the observed increased feelings of loneliness and problematic smartphone use among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, further research was needed to determine whether and how the increased loneliness of adolescents during such major public health crisis events affects the risk of problematic smartphone use among adolescents. This study aimed to examine the relationship between loneliness and problematic smartphone use among Chinese adolescents (aged 10-16 years) during the COVID-19 pandemic and to investigate the possible mediating role of negative emotions and maladaptive coping.

METHODS

A total of 672 Chinese adolescents (Mage  = 13.05, SD = 1.51, 50.4% boys, 93.8% from rural areas, 22.5% of whom were only children) took part in this cross-sectional study in April 2022 by completing the Chinese adolescent version of the Loneliness Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (subscale), the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, and the Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale.

RESULTS

The serial mediation model revealed that negative emotions and maladaptive coping independently mediated the relationship between adolescents' loneliness and problematic smartphone use. In addition, the mediation effects of "negative emotions-maladaptive coping" could also mediate the relationship between loneliness and problematic smartphone use.

CONCLUSIONS

Loneliness may be positively related to problematic smartphone use through negative emotions and maladaptive coping among adolescents during major public health crisis events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The role of boredom proneness and self-control in the association between anxiety and smartphone addiction among college students: a multiple mediation model

Background

Smartphone addiction has been found to be a widespread public health issue, especially among youth. Previous studies reported a significant association between anxiety and smartphone addiction, but the underlying mechanism in this relationship is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating roles of boredom proneness and self-control in the relationship between anxiety and smartphone addiction.

Methods

Self-reported measures of anxiety, boredom proneness, self-control and smartphone addiction were administered to 1,526 Chinese college students.

Results

Smartphone addiction scores varied between 10 and 60 with an average of 30.89 ± 10.57 points. Anxiety had a direct and positive effect on smartphone addiction (effect = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.11-0.25), and an indirect effect on smartphone addiction through boredom proneness (effect = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.06-0.15) and self-control (effect = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.13-0.20). Boredom proneness and self-control sequentially mediated the relationship between anxiety and smartphone addiction (effect = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.10-0.15).

Conclusion

Anxiety is positively associated with smartphone addiction, and boredom proneness and self-control are important mediators in this relationship. Strengthening self-control and mitigating boredom could prevent smartphone addiction in anxious college students.

Is Nomophobia Problematic or Functional? A Perspective from Bifactor Structure

With the extensive use of mobile phones globally, some people engage in excessive or problematic phone use behaviors. However, little is known regarding the latent structure of problematic mobile phone use. The current study employed the Chinese versions of the Nomophobia Questionnaire, Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale, and Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale-21 to explore the latent psychological structure of problematic mobile phone use and nomophobia and their associations with mental health symptoms. Results showed that a bifactor latent model best fit nomophobia, which contained a general factor and four unique factors involving the fear of being unable to access information, losing convenience, losing contact, and losing one's Internet connection. Results also showed significant correlations among latent factors of nomophobia, problematic mobile phone use, and mental health symptoms. Through these findings, we can conclude that two problematic mobile phone use behaviors share a common factor concerning excessive use, and nomophobia has independent unique factors concerning usable function. This study clarifies the structure of problematic mobile phone use, and it implies that we can distinguish problematic mobile phone use from functional use; further investigation of problematic mobile phone use is warranted.

Adolescent resilience and mobile phone addiction in Henan Province of China: Impacts of chain mediating, coping style

BACKGROUND

As mobile phone use grows, so it brings benefits and risks. As an important part of adolescents healthy growth, resilience plays an indispensable role. Thus, it is important to identify when mobile phone use of an adolescent becomes an addiction. This study proposed to explore the effects of adolescent resilience on mobile phone addiction, and tested the mediating role of coping style and depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS) on phone addiction among 2,268 adolescents in the Henan province, China.

METHODS

The adolescents were surveyed via an online questionnaire, a mobile phone addiction index (MPAI), a depression, anxiety, and stress scale with 21 items (DASS-21), the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (RSCA), and the Simplified coping style questionnaire (SCSQ), and we used structural equation modeling to examine the correlations and moderation effects. All data analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0 and Amos 23.0.

RESULTS

The results show that adolescences resilience were negatively related to negative coping, DASS, and mobile phone addiction; both coping style and DASS could mediate the relationship between adolescent resilience and mobile phone addiction among Chinese adolescents. The relationship between adolescent resilience and mobile phone addiction in Chinese adolescents was mediated by the chain of coping styles and DASS.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a negative relationship which exists between resilience and mobile phone addiction in this population. In addition, stress, anxiety, depression, and coping style significantly influence the risk of adolescent mobile phone addiction and play an intermediary role in Chinese adolescent resilience and mobile phone addiction.

Association between mobile phone addiction and social support among mainland Chinese teenagers: A meta-analysis

Background

Mobile phone addiction brings many adverse effects to teenagers, such as physical health problems, emotional problems, and academic failure, and studies have found that social support is an important influencing factor. Therefore, considering institutional, cultural and economic differences, we aimed to investigate the association between mobile phone addiction and social support among mainland Chinese teenagers, and explored the moderators affecting the relation.

Methods

Based on the PRISMA method, a meta-analysis was applied to quantitatively synthesize relevant findings to obtain reliable estimates of effect sizes and conduct moderator analyses.

Results

In total, 92 studies involving 59,716 participants and 92 effect sizes were identified by a systematic literature search. A significant low degree of negative correlation was found between mobile phone addiction and social support (r = -0.174, 95%CI = -0.213 to -0.134, p < 0.001, I ² = 96.1%). Moreover, the present meta-analysis observed significant moderating effects of participants' gender, and region on the association between social support and mobile phone addiction.

Conclusion

This study suggests that the mobile phone addiction level of teenagers could be reduced by increasing social support, and actions to improve their social support levels should be proposed based on their gender and regional differences.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021276672.

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.

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].

The Impact of Adolescent Resilience on Mobile Phone Addiction During COVID-19 Normalization and Flooding in China: A Chain Mediating

Natural disasters cause long-term psychological problems and increase substance use in some adults. However, it is unclear whether disasters also lead to these problems in adolescents. We hypothesized the influence of adolescent resilience on mobile phone addiction during the normalization of COVID-19 and flooding. We tested the mediating role of coping style and depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS) on phone addiction among 1,751 adolescents in the Henan Province in China. The adolescents were surveyed via an online questionnaire, and we used structural equation modeling to examine the correlations and moderation effects. The results show that coping style and DASS could mediate the relationship between adolescent resilience and mobile phone addiction among Chinese adolescents. A chain of coping styles and DASS mediated the relationship between adolescent resilience and mobile phone addiction in Chinese adolescents.

How parental smartphone addiction affects adolescent smartphone addiction: The effect of the parent-child relationship and parental bonding

BACKGROUND

Adolescent smartphone addiction (ASA) has fueled concerns worldwide regarding the negative health effects. This study aimed to examine whether parental smartphone addiction (PSA) affected ASA, and evaluated the mediating role of the parent-child relationship and the moderating role of parental bonding in the effect from PSA to ASA, among a Chinese sample of parent-child pairs.

METHODS

A large-scale cross-sectional survey was conducted among 10- to 15-year-old students and their parents. ASA and PSA were assessed by Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI). The parent-child relationship was evaluated by Child-Parent Relationship Scale-Short Form (CPRS-SF), and parental bonding was estimated by Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Conditional process model was used to examine the relationship between PSA and ASA, as well as the mediating effect of parent-child relationship and the moderating effect of parental bonding.

RESULTS

A total of 9515 adolescents and their parents completed the online survey. PSA significantly positively predicted ASA (B = 0.488, p < 0.001). The parent-child relationship negatively mediated the association from PSA to ASA (B = -0.321, p < 0.001). Parental overprotection moderated the indirect path from PSA to ASA through the parent-child relationship (B = -0.016, p < 0.001), but parental care had not any moderation (B = -0.005, p > 0.05). Specifically, parental overprotection had a positive moderating effect on the second half mediation path. The indirect effect of PSA on ASA through parent-child relationship was greater in higher overprotection than in lower.

LIMITATIONS

Cross-sectional study of self-administrated questionnaires.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents had a higher tendency toward smartphone addiction when their parents excessively used smartphones. The findings highlighted the essential role of parent-child relationship and parental bonding in the association from PSA to ASA.

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.

Suicidal Ideation Is Associated With Excessive Smartphone Use Among Chinese College Students

BACKGROUND

Suicidal ideation is the first step and a strong predictor of suicide. College students are at a considerably high risk of suicidal ideation, and smartphones are commonly used in this group. However, the relationship between suicidal ideation and smartphone use among Chinese college students is unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of suicidal ideation among Chinese college students and its association with smartphone use and addiction factors.

METHODS

A total of 439 college students participated the survey. We collected the demographic information, physical health, psychosocial factors (depressive symptoms, social support, sleep quality), characteristics of smartphone use, and mobile phone addiction (MPA). Suicidal ideation was measured with a single question, "did you feel that life was not worth living in the past 1 year?"

RESULTS

The prevalence of suicidal ideation ("Yes" response) in the past year among Chinese college students was 7.5%. In binary logistic regression analysis, suicidal ideation was significantly correlated with less subjective social support (OR: 2.49, p = 0.049), lower utilization of social support (OR: 13.28, p = 0.012), more depressive symptoms (OR:4.96, p = 0.005), and more than 5 h of daily smartphone use (OR: 2.60, p = 0.025).

CONCLUSION

Considering the widely use of smartphones in Chinese colleges and the correlation with suicidal ideation, excessive phone use among college students should be given more attention by administrators and health workers. It is necessary to obtain more information about the intention of smartphone use, make full use of smartphones for health education, and monitor excessive use of smartphones, while improving social support and coping mechanisms for depression, to identify suicidal ideation and prevent suicidal behavior among Chinese college students.