Alexithymia and Problematic Mobile Phone Use: A Moderated Mediation Model

The mediating effect of attentional impulsivity between mindfulness and problematic smartphone use

OBJECTIVE

Problematic smartphone use has been linked to lower levels of mindfulness, impaired attentional function, and higher impulsivity. This study aimed to identify the psychological mechanisms of problematic smartphone use by exploring the relationship between addictive smartphone use, mindfulness, attentional function and impulsivity.

METHODS

Ninety participants were evaluated with the smartphone addiction proneness scale and classified into the problematic smartphone use group (n = 42; 24 women; mean age: 27.6 ± 7.2 years) or normal use group (n = 48; 22 women; mean age: 30.1 ± 5.7 years). All participants completed self-report questionnaires evaluating their trait impulsivity and mindfulness and attention tests that assessed selective, sustained and divided attention. We compared the variables between the groups and explored the relationship between mindfulness, attentional function, impulsivity and addictive smartphone use through mediation analysis.

RESULTS

The problematic smartphone use group showed higher trait impulsivity and lower mindfulness than the normal use group. There were no significant group differences in performance on attention tests. Levels of addictive smartphone use were significantly correlated with higher levels of trait impulsivity and lower levels of mindfulness, but not with performance on attention tests. Mediation analysis showed that acting with awareness, an aspect of mindfulness, reduces the degree of addictive smartphone use through attentional impulsivity, one of the trait impulsivity.

CONCLUSION

Acting without sufficient awareness could influence addictive smartphone use by mediating attentional impulsivity. This supports that executive control deficits, reflected in high attentional impulsivity, contribute to problematic smartphone use. Our findings imply that mindfulness-based interventions can enhance executive control over smartphone use by promoting awareness.

The smartphone as a "significant other": interpersonal dependency and attachment in maladaptive smartphone and social networks use

Smartphones are increasingly widespread throughout the world and, although smartphones provide various benefits, excessive and maladaptive use is often reported. Given the penetration of smartphones in the individual's daily life, it is relevant to identify the mechanisms sustaining their use, including the affective bond that the owner may develop with the device. The aim of the current study is to test a novel model to explain smartphone and Social Network Sites (SNS) use from an interpersonal perspective. We hypothesized that adult attachment style and interpersonal patterns (i.e., features of interpersonal dependency) generalize to the emotional bond with the mobile device, interacting with psychological correlates and background factors to predict smartphone and SNS consumption. 341 nonclinical adults (57.2% females; age M = 35.5, SD = 14.6) completed a battery consisting of the Attachment Style Questionnaire, the Relationship Profile Test, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Young Adult Attachment to Phone Scale, and the Social Network Intensity and Social Network Access via Mobile phone Applications. A multi-mediation model supported the hypothesis regarding the influence of interpersonal style in the relationship of the individual with their smartphone and use of SNS. A parallel between attachment style and the emotional bond with the smartphone emerged, with anxious attachment style and destructive overdependence being potential risk factors for maladaptive smartphone use especially in individuals involved in a romantic relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical implications and intervention strategies towards smartphone dependency.

Effects of use motivations and alexithymia on smartphone addiction: mediating role of insecure attachment

Background and objectives

Concern exists regarding the potential negative consequences of smartphone addiction among adolescents. This study investigated the effect of use motivations and alexithymia on smartphone addiction among adolescents with two insecure attachment styles, namely, anxious and avoidant attachment. These attachment styles were regarded as mediating variables.

Methods

Self-report measures were used to assess use motivations, alexithymia, insecure attachment and smartphone addiction. Data were collected from 748 junior high school students (382 males and 366 females) in northeastern China. Structural equation modeling was used to test our hypothesis that use motivations and alexithymia are directly associated with smartphone addiction and also through the mediation of attachment insecurities.

Results

The structural equation modeling results showed a strong and positive correlation between use motivation and smartphone addiction, with avoidant attachment mediating such a relationship. Meanwhile, the two components of alexithymia, difficulty identifying feelings and externally oriented thinking, positively predicted smartphone addiction, with avoidant attachment serving as a mediator of this effect. In addition, the mediation analysis results demonstrated that attachment anxiety mediated the connection between escape drive, extrinsically focused thought, and smartphone addiction.

Conclusion

Findings describe how attachment insecurities, smartphone use motivations, and alexithymia can interact with one another to predict smartphone addiction. Smartphone use motivation types and alexithymia symptoms should be taken into consideration when designing targeted intervention programs for smartphone addiction to address the different attachment needs of adolescents, which would be helpful to reduce their smartphone addiction behaviors.

Resilience and problematic smartphone use: a moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is adversely correlated with resilience. To completely comprehend the mechanism underlying this relationship, however, more investigation is required.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional study, the method of stratified random cluster sampling was applied. 834 Chinese undergraduate students (aged 17 to 24) were recruited, and self-reported questionnaires were administered to measure their levels of resilience, perceived social support, the sense of school belonging, and habitual and problematic smartphone use.

RESULTS

The findings showed that resilience both directly and indirectly predicted PSU through perceived social support and the sense of school belonging. Additionally, there were significant moderating effects of habitual smartphone use between resilience and perceived social support, the sense of school belonging, and PSU.

CONCLUSIONS

Our research identified the negative influence of resilience on PSU, and specifically, highlighted the mediation effects of perceived social support and the sense of school belonging. Of significance, we also found the moderation effect of habitual smartphone use in the development of PSU.

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 influence of alexithymia on problematic mobile phone use among Chinese adolescent students: Multiple mediating roles of social interaction anxiousness and core self-evaluations

BACKGROUND

Alexithymia can lead to problematic mobile phone use (PMPU). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

METHODS

Drawing on the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model, the present study tests the mediating effects (parallel and serial) of social interaction anxiety (SIA) and core self-evaluations (CSE) on the relationship between alexithymia and PMPU. We obtained 1267 valid responses from adolescent students (mean age, 20.36, standard deviation, 0.97) from southeast China who completed the Mobile Phone Addiction Index, Toronto Alexithymia-20 Scale, Social Interaction Anxiousness Scale, and Core Self-Evaluation Inventory.

RESULTS

After controlling for demographic variables (i.e., gender) as covariates, the results revealed that: (1) alexithymia had a positive predictive effect on PMPU in adolescent students; (2) SIA and CSE mediated the association between alexithymia and PMPU; and (3) a series of indirect pathways (i.e., from alexithymia to PMPU via SIA and CSE) were detected. Thus, alexithymia can directly affect (parallel mediation) PMPU by increasing SIA and lowering CSE simultaneously. However, alexithymia can also indirectly affect (serial mediation) PMPU by increasing the level of SIA by decreasing CSE.

LIMITATIONS

Data were collected by participant self-report. This method may lead to recall bias. Further, we adopted a cross-sectional rather than an experimental design, thus precluding causal conclusions. Lastly, it would be useful to validate our findings with other age groups outside southeast China.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study findings are conducive to understanding the relationship between alexithymia and PMPU and inspire the prevention and intervention of PMPU.

Development of a Computerized Adaptive Test for Problematic Mobile Phone Use

The great number of mobile phone users in the world has increased in recent years. More time spent on a phone, more negative effects such as problematic mobile phone use. Many researchers have devoted themselves to revise tools to measure problematic mobile phone use better and more precisely. Previous studies have shown that these tools have good reliability and validity, but that most of them have some shortcomings because they were traditional paper-and-pencil tests based on Classical Test Theory (CTT). This study, based on Item Response Theory (IRT) in order to solve these shortcomings, developed Computerized Adaptive Test for problematic mobile phone use (CAT-PMPU) and discussed the performance of CAT-PMPU. Then, we used real data to simulate CAT, and the measurement accuracy and reliability between a paper-and-pencil test and CAT-PMPU were compared under the same test length. The results showed that CAT-PMPU was better than the paper-and-pencil test in all aspects, and that it can reduce the number of items and improve measurement efficiency effectively. In conclusion, the CAT-PMPU was developed in this study has good reliability, and it provided novel technical support for the measurement of problematic mobile phone use. It had a good application prospect.

Why are Individuals with Alexithymia Symptoms More Likely to Have Mobile Phone Addiction? The Multiple Mediating Roles of Social Interaction Anxiousness and Boredom Proneness

Purpose

Previous studies have investigated the relationship between alexithymia and problematic mobile phone use (PMPU). However, yet gaps in identifying the internal mechanisms of this relationship remain. Hence, based on the Interaction of Person–Affect–Cognition–Execution model, the current research examined the mediating roles of college students’ social interaction anxiousness (SIA) and boredom proneness (BPS) in the relationship between alexithymia and PMPU.

Methods

A total of 1300 college students (M_age = 20.36 years, SD = 0.97) were recruited from two universities in the southeast of China to complete a series of questionnaires, including the Toronto alexithymia scale, SIA scale, BPS scale, and mobile phone addiction index questionnaire. In order to conduct conservative predictions, the demographic variables (ie, gender) were controlled as covariates.

Results

The results of multiple mediation analysis showed that (1) alexithymia was positively linked with PMPU; (2) both SIA and BPS mediated the link between alexithymia and PMPU; and (3) a serial indirect pathway emerged (ie, alexithymia → SIA → BPS → PMPU).

Conclusion

These findings indicated that alexithymia could influence PMPU in a simple indirect way (parallel mediation) and in a complex indirect way (serial mediation). Besides, these findings provide some insights into the prevention and intervention of PMPU.

Depression and anxiety symptoms are associated with problematic smartphone use under the COVID-19 epidemic: The mediation models

COVID-19 epidemic has brought wide psychological impacts on the young adults. To investigate the depression and anxiety symptoms and their associations with problematic smartphone use under the COVID-19 epidemic, a total of 847 Chinese undergraduate students joined in this study and were measured with their levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, resilience, perceived social support, the sense of school belonging and problematic smartphone use. Results showed that among the Chinese undergraduate students, the disorder rates of depression and anxiety symptoms were 29.16% and 46.64% respectively, and their symptoms ranged from mild to extreme severe. Depression and anxiety symptoms both positively predicted problematic smartphone use. Resilience, perceived social support and the sense of school belonging partially mediated both associations; resilience and the sense of school belonging exerted buffering effects, while perceived social support exacerbated the impacts. The current study advanced our understanding of the COVID-19 impacts and furthermore, suggested the protective factors for mitigating these impacts.