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Despite extensive research on the psychological impacts of digital technology, the nuanced dynamics between adolescent loneliness and problematic smartphone use, particularly across different educational levels and genders, remain underexplored. This study aims to fill this gap by employing a Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model to dissect the bidirectional relationship between loneliness and problematic smartphone use among adolescents, with a focus on the moderating roles of educational levels and gender. Engaging 3132 students from various educational institutions in China, the research conducted a three-wave longitudinal analysis across 2022–2023. The final number of participants included 1120 adolescents (53.5% female; age in 2022: M = 14.57 years, SD = 1.57). Results reveal that loneliness significantly predicts problematic smartphone use, but not vice versa, highlighting a unidirectional influence. The study uncovers crucial differences across educational levels and gender, emphasizing the stronger effect of loneliness on problematic smartphone use among junior high students and female adolescents. These findings underscore the complexity of adolescent loneliness and its relationship with digital behavior, suggesting a need for tailored interventions considering both gender and developmental stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is a prevalent behavioral problem in young people. Notably, levels of PSU positively correlate with levels of social anxiety. However, the mechanism underlying the relationship between social anxiety and PSU has not been fully elucidated. Coping style and friend support are potential factors involved in such a mechanism. In this study, we collected a battery of surveys in a group of college students (n = 512). Then, we used the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model to examine the possible mediating role of coping style in the relationship between social anxiety and PSU, and further tested the possible moderating role of perceived friend support. We built a structural equation model and found a positive relationship between social anxiety and PSU, as well as finding that coping style partially mediated said relationship. Further, perceived friend support moderated the association between social anxiety and coping style. This relationship became stronger for college students with higher levels of friend support. Our findings are important in understanding why individuals with social anxiety are prone to PSU, and why individuals with better friend support are resistant to such behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the longitudinal and reciprocal relationships among problematic smartphone use (PSU), depressive symptoms (DS), and suicidal ideation (SI) in Chinese university students. Using a cross-lagged design, the Mobile Phone Addiction Inventory Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Self-Rating Idea of Suicide Scale as research instruments, 194 university students completed a questionnaire four consecutive times. June of Year 1, December of Year 2, June of Year 2, and December of Year 3 of their college study. We refer to these as the Time 1 (T1), Time 2 (T2), Time 3 (T3), and Time 4 (T4) assessments, respectively. The levels of PSU and DS fluctuated significantly over time. DS at T1 was significantly predicted to influence SI at T2 (β = 0.17, p <.05); DS at T3 was significantly predicted by PSU and by SI at T2 (respectively, β = 0.30, p <.05; β = 0.21, p <.05); DS at T2 significantly predicted PSU at T3 (β = 0.14, p <.05); and DS at T3 significantly predicted SI at T4 (β = 0.14, p <.05) in the cross-lagged pathway. DS at T3 fully mediated the relationship between PSU at T2 and SI at T4 (indirect effect: β = 0.133, 95% CI = [0.063, 0.213]). The results suggest that there is a reciprocal relationship between PSU and DS and, furthermore, that DS plays an important mediating role between PSU and SI. Our results suggest the importance of early identification and treatment of SI. Timely reduction of PSU and improvement of DS among university students may help prevent SI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using network analysis, the current study investigated the pathways that underlie selected components of sleep health and their changes over time. Undergraduates (N = 1423; 80.60% female) completed a two-wave survey, sleep health (i.e. chronotypologies (CTs), sleep procrastination (SP), sleep quality (SQ)), psychological distress (PD), emotion regulation (ER), self-control (SC), problematic smartphone use (PSU) were measured. CTs, SP, and SQ formed a spatially contiguous pattern that remained unchanged in both waves. ER and PD node increased its strength, betweenness, and closeness in the network, while the link between the two was strengthened at T2. PSU was connected to SP, but not to CTs and SQ during both waves. In the context of the network approach, SP had the highest strength, and its associations with other dimensions of individual sleep may represent key factors in understanding the influence of exposure to the COVID-19 outbreak on sleep health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both smartphone addiction and phubbing are emerging behavioral problems. The present study investigates potential risk and protective factors of smartphone addiction and phubbing behavior, including demographic factors, personal factors, and interpersonal factors among Chinese college students. A total of 866 college students (Mage = 21.01, SD = 1.60) completed self-reported questionnaires in classroom settings. Collected data were analyzed by using Pearson's correlation and hierarchical linear regression analyses. The risk factors for smartphone addiction were phubbing behavior, depression, and social anxiety, while the protective factors were self-control and sense of security. In addition, the risk factors for phubbing behavior included female sex and smartphone addiction, while the protective factors included sense of security and interpersonal adaptability. Our findings help to enhance understanding of the general and specific risks and protective factors for smartphone addiction and phubbing behavior, which can benefit intervention development for related behavior prevention and reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to categorize different subgroups of problematic smartphone use in Chinese college students. Differences in gender and psychosocial characteristics of the categorized groups were also examined. Methods: A total of 1123 participants completed the Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Using latent profile analysis, we identified different subgroups of problematic smartphone use in college students. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was implemented to examine the relationship between latent classes and demographic and psychosocial covariates. Results: The four following latent classes were identified: a low-risk group, a moderate-risk with no evasiveness group, a moderate-risk with evasiveness group, and high-risk group that accounted for 11%, 24.1%, 35.5%, and 29.4% of the total sample, respectively. Further analysis revealed that female participants were more likely to be in the moderate-risk with evasiveness and high-risk groups, and individuals with depressed mood were more likely to be in the moderate-risk and high-risk groups. Conclusions: Classifying college students according to the features of problematic smartphone use is potentially useful for understanding risk factors and developing targeted prevention and intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current study aims to track the changes in the levels of smart phone addiction (SPA) and depressive symptoms between pre and during COVID-19 and potential risk factors of among Chinese college students in a four-wave longitudinal study. Methods: The participants were recruited from a Chinese university (n = 195; 58.5% females). The first three-wave surveys were conducted before COVID-19 (during December of Year 1, June of Year 1, and December of Year 2 of their college study; Time 1, Time 2, Time 3), while the fourth survey (Time 4; during June of Year 2 of their college study) was conducted in June 2020 during COVID-19. COVID-19-related factors, including quarantine, lockdown, boredom, emotional loneliness, and social loneliness, were investigated. Results: The results showed a significant increase in the levels of depressive symptoms and prevalence of probable depression during COVID-19 (69.2%) compared to those 18 months, 12 months and 6 months before COVID-19 (41.5, 45.6, 48.2%) but non-significant changes in SPA. Boredom and emotional loneliness were positively associated with both SPA and depressive symptoms during COVID-19. Social loneliness was also positively associated with depressive symptoms during COVID-19. Quarantine and lockdown were not significantly associated with SPA or depressive symptoms. Discussion and conclusions: The results highlight that the study population may be a high risk group of probable depression. Future studies should continue to track these mental and behavioral status with the progression of the epidemic. The identified emotional factors could be used to reduce depressive symptoms during COVID-19 and prevent the potential risk of SPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mother phubbing (Mphubbing) is positively related to adolescent loneliness (AL) • Attachment anxiety (AA) exacerbates the relationship between Mphubbing and AL. • AA and need to belong simultaneously moderate the link between Mphubbing and AL. Research interest in exploring the negative impacts of mother phubbing on adolescent development is growing. However, limited research has explored the association between mother phubbing and adolescent loneliness, and even less is known about the potential moderating effects within this association. Thus, this study tested the association between mother phubbing and adolescent loneliness and examined whether mother–child attachment anxiety and need to belong simultaneously moderated this relationship. Participants were 4213 high school students (52.5 % boys; M age = 16.41, SD=0.77) from five provinces in China. They completed questionnaires on demographic information, mother phubbing, loneliness, mother–child attachment anxiety, and need to belong. After controlling for demographic variables, the results revealed that mother phubbing was positively related to adolescent loneliness. Mother-child attachment anxiety exacerbated the relationship between mother phubbing and adolescent loneliness. Moreover, the three-way interaction effect of mother phubbing, mother–child attachment anxiety, and need to belong on adolescent loneliness was significant. Specifically, the relationship between mother phubbing and loneliness was non-significant only for adolescents low in both mother–child attachment anxiety and need to belong. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Changes in academic pressure at T1 positively linked to adolescent social anxiety at T3. • Classmate support at T2 and PSU at T2 as chain mediators. • Chain mediator model vary by changes in leisure time. • Classmate support at T2 → PSU at T2 was stronger in increased leisure time group. • Changes in academic pressure at T1 → PSU at T2 was weaker in increased group. In response to concerns surrounding excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students undergoing compulsory education in China, the government implemented the "double reduction" policy to alleviate these burdens. This study aims to examine the mechanisms that underlie the longitudinal relationship between changes in academic pressure and social anxiety among Chinese adolescents under the background of this policy. A total of 2,202 valid questionnaires were obtained, and the sample consisted of 1,234 students who reported having a smartphone (age: M = 14.60, SD = 1.57). They were recruited to complete the changes in leisure time and academic pressure at Time 1, classmate support at Time 1 and Time 2, problematic smartphone use at Time 1 and Time 2, and social anxiety at Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3. The findings indicate that classmate support and problematic smartphone use at Time 2 significantly mediated the association between changes in academic pressure at Time 1 and social anxiety at Time 3. Changes in leisure time at Time 1 also affected these relationships. Specifically, compared to those with decreased leisure time, the relationship between classmate support at Time 2 and problematic smartphone use at Time 2 was stronger among adolescents with increased leisure time, while the relationship between changes in academic pressure at Time 1 and problematic smartphone use at Time 2 was weaker among adolescents with increased leisure time. These results highlight the importance of promoting effective stress coping strategies and peer interactions for adolescents, and also the importance of promoting active parental participation in leisure time management and guidance towards positive coping styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is a reciprocal link between PSU and sleep procrastination among undergraduates. • Cross-lag models vary by sleep biorhythms. • PSU at T1 predicts sleep procrastination at T2 in "morning larks", not "night owls". Sleep is an important physiological process, but staying up late has become a worldwide problem, particularly among university students. Sleep procrastination has been found to associated with sleep biorhythms and problematic smartphone use ("PSU") in previous studies. This two-wave study examines the longitudinal reciprocal relationship between PSU and sleep procrastination, together with the moderating role of sleep biorhythms. Participants comprised 1,423 Chinese university students. The results revealed that PSU and sleep procrastination are reciprocally related. Additionally, sleep biorhythms moderated this relationship, as PSU at T1 significantly predicted sleep procrastination at T2 for the morning larks group but not the night owls group. Accordingly, both PSU and sleep biorhythms should be considered when developing interventions for sleep procrastination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research shows that problematic smartphone use is a risk factor for individual depression, however, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. The present study investigated (a) the mediating role of procrastination in the association between problematic smartphone use and adolescent depression, and (b) the moderating role of perceived social support in the relationships between problematic smartphone use and adolescent depression. This model was examined with 772 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 16.81 years, SD = 0.73). The results indicated that problematic smartphone use was positively related to adolescent depression. Mediation analyses revealed that procrastination partially mediated this relationship. Moderated mediation further indicated perceived social support moderated the link between procrastination and adolescent depression, with the effect being significant only for adolescents with a low level of perceived social support. These findings highlight the importance of identifying the mechanisms that moderate the mediated paths between problematic smartphone use and adolescent depression. • Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is related to depression (Dep). • Procrastination (Pro) mediates the link between PSU and Dep. • Perceived social support moderates the link between Pro and Dep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]