Psychological Distress and Problematic Mobile Phone Use Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Maladaptive Cognitions and the Moderating Role of Effortful Control

In an attempt to reduce the negative consequences of adolescent media use, parents often monitor their children’s online activities. However, research suggests that parental monitoring often does not reduce children’s problematic mobile phone use as expected. Based on the results of a survey of 584 Chinese adolescents, we found that parental monitoring positively predicted children’s problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) within a Chinese cultural context. The results also showed that children’s escape motivation partially mediated this relationship, while their level of shyness moderated both the mediated path and the direct impact of parental monitoring on children’s PMPU. The findings suggested that a higher level of shyness increased the likelihood that parental monitoring would increase the child’s escape motivation and PMPU. The study results provide guidelines for parents and educators regarding interventions for adolescents’ problematic phone use.

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Negative emotion and problematic mobile phone use: The mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of social support

Asian Journal Of Social Psychology ◽

10.1111/ajsp.12471 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lingfeng Gao ◽

Chen Yang ◽

Xiujuan Yang ◽

Xiaowei Chu ◽

Qingqi Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Negative Emotion ◽

Mobile Phone Use ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Problematic Mobile Phone Use ◽

Moderating Role

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Mobile phone addiction and psychological distress among Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of rumination and moderating role of the capacity to be alone

Journal of Affective Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.jad.2020.10.005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 279 ◽

pp. 701-710

Author(s):

Shuai-Lei Lian ◽

Xiao-Jun Sun ◽

Geng-Feng Niu ◽

Xiu-Juan Yang ◽

Zong-Kui Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Chinese Adolescents ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Mobile Phone Addiction ◽

Moderating Role

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Autonomy Need Dissatisfaction in Daily Life and Problematic Mobile Phone Use: The Mediating Roles of Boredom Proneness and Mobile Phone Gaming

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17155305 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (15) ◽

pp. 5305

Author(s):

Wei Hong ◽

Ru-De Liu ◽

Yi Ding ◽

Rui Zhen ◽

Ronghuan Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mobile Phone ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Psychological Needs ◽

Need Satisfaction ◽

Mobile Phone Use ◽

Targeted Interventions ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Problematic Mobile Phone Use ◽

Boredom Proneness

Psychological needs dissatisfaction has been identified as hindering adaptive development, in which autonomy need dissatisfaction, as one core component, may be associated with adolescents’ maladaptive online behaviors. Sporadic research has examined the association between autonomy need dissatisfaction and problematic mobile phone use (PMPU). Boredom proneness and mobile phone gaming were suggested to be linked to this association. This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of boredom proneness and mobile phone gaming in the association between autonomy need dissatisfaction and PMPU. A total of 358 secondary school students completed questionnaires at three waves; autonomy need dissatisfaction was measured in time 1 (T1); boredom proneness and mobile phone gaming were measured one year later (time 2, T2); PMPU was measured two years later (time 3, T3). The structural equation model results showed that T1 autonomy need dissatisfaction not only directly predicted T3 PMPU, but also exerted effects via the mediating role of T2 boredom proneness and the chain mediating role of T2 boredom proneness and T2 mobile phone gaming. These findings reveal the unique role of specific psychological need in engaging PMPU, which provides support to targeted interventions, such that promoting autonomy need satisfaction may be an instrumental procedure to prevent adolescents from addiction-like online behaviors.

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Brain behavioral systems, self-control and problematic mobile phone use: The moderating role of gender and history of use

Personality and Individual Differences ◽

10.1016/j.paid.2016.10.036 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 106 ◽

pp. 111-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Zhaocai Jiang ◽

Xiuxin Zhao

Keyword(s):

Mobile Phone ◽

Self Control ◽

Mobile Phone Use ◽

Behavioral Systems ◽

Problematic Mobile Phone Use ◽

History Of ◽

History Of Use ◽

Moderating Role

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Self-control and problematic mobile phone use in Chinese college students: the mediating role of mobile phone use patterns

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-016-1131-z ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Zhaocai Jiang ◽

Xiuxin Zhao

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Self Control ◽

Chinese College Students ◽

Mobile Phone Use ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Problematic Mobile Phone Use

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Preference for Solitude and Mobile Phone Addiction Among Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress and Moderating Role of Mindfulness

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750511 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Wan-Yi Chen ◽

Lei Yan ◽

Yi-Ren Yuan ◽

Xiao-Wei Zhu ◽

Yan-Hong Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Process Model ◽

Self Report ◽

Chinese College Students ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Mobile Phone Addiction ◽

Moderating Role

Background: With the increasing incidence of mobile phone addiction, the potential risk factors of mobile phone addiction have attracted more and more researchers’ attention. Although various personality trait factors have been proven to be significant predictors of mobile phone addiction, limited attention has been paid to preference for solitude. Considering the adverse impacts of preference for solitude in the context of collectivistic societies and its possible negative effect on mobile phone addiction, this study was designed to examine the relationship between preference for solitude and mobile phone addiction, and to test the mediating role of psychological distress and the moderating role of mindfulness in this relationship.Methods: Data were collected through convenience sampling from a comprehensive university in China. A total of 927 Chinese college students (371 males and 556 females), aged from 16 to 24 (Mage = 19.89 years, SD = 1.22), participated in this study. Their preference for solitude, psychological distress, mindfulness, and mobile phone addiction were measured using well-validated self-report questionnaires.Results: Correlational analyses, sobel test, SPSS macro PROCESS (Model 8) and simple slopes analyses were used for major data analysis. Results showed that preference for solitude was significantly and positively associated with mobile phone addiction, and this link could be mediated by psychological distress. Moreover, the indirect effect of psychological distress in this link was moderated by mindfulness, with this effect being stronger for college students with lower levels of mindfulness. However, mindfulness can not moderate the direct relation between preference for solitude and mobile phone addiction.Conclusion: The present study broadened our knowledge of how and when (or for whom) preference for solitude is related to mobile phone addiction. Education professionals and parents should pay special attention to the psychological distress and mobile phone addiction of college students with high levels of preference for solitude, particularly for those with lower levels of mindfulness.

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