Mobile phone addiction and academic burnout: the mediating role of technology conflict and the protective role of mindfulness.

With the rapid development of Internet technology, more and more college students are facing the threat of mobile phone addiction. However, the relationship and underlying mechanism between mobile phone addiction and academic burnout haven't been explored in depth. This study proves the mediating role of technology conflict and the moderating role of mindfulness in the relation between mobile phone addiction and academic burnout. 752 college students were recruited to complete the questionnaire of mobile phone addiction, technology conflict, mindfulness and academic burnout. Results showed that mobile phone addiction was significantly and positively associated with academic burnout, and this relationship could be mediated by technology conflict. Besides, the direct effect of mobile phone addiction on academic burnout and the indirect effect of technology conflict in this link were moderated by mindfulness. Both these two effects are stronger for college students with lower level of mindfulness. Our findings enrich our understanding of how and when mobile phone addiction was related to academic burnout. Educational professionals and parents should take timely measure to the academic burnout of college students suffering from mobile phone addiction, particularly for those with lower level of mindfulness.

Family cohesion and adaptability reduces mobile phone addiction: the mediating and moderating roles of automatic thoughts and peer attachment.

With the popularity of mobile Internet devices, the incidence of mobile phone addiction has been increasing, which has aroused the concern of all sectors of society. Due to the difficulty of eliminating the risk factors of mobile phone addiction, it's significant for researchers to examine the function and underlying mechanisms of positive environmental factors in reducing individuals' mobile phone addiction. Thus, the current study aimed to examine the relationship between family cohesion and adaptability and mobile phone addiction among university students and analyzed the mediating role of automatic thoughts as well as the moderating role of peer attachment in this link. The sample consisted of 958 Chinese university students. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing family cohesion and adaptability, mobile phone addiction, automatic thoughts, and peer attachment. PROCESS model 8 was significant (the total effect model (F (5, 952) = 19.64, R2 = 0.09, p < 0.001)). Results indicated that family cohesion and adaptability could not only negatively predict mobile phone addiction directly, but also indirectly through the mediating effect of automatic thoughts. Moreover, both the direct association between family cohesion and adaptability and mobile phone addiction as well as the indirect effect of automatic thoughts were moderated by peer attachment. Findings emphasized the beneficial role of peer attachment on the effect of family cohesion and adaptability on automatic thoughts and mobile phone addiction.

Moderating Effects of Mindfulness in the Relation between Bullying Victimization and Sleep Disturbance in Chinese Children: Sex Differences.

Bullying victimization is associated with sleep disturbance. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of bullying victimization on sleep disturbance, and the moderating effect of mindfulness on this association, also exploring differences across sex. A sample of 420 Chinese children (Mage = 9.60, SD age = 1.11, 48.10% girls) in grade 3 to grade 6 were recruited to complete the revised Bully/Victim Questionnaire, the Chinese version of Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure, as well as the Family Affluence Scale. Results showed that bullying victimization was positively associated with sleep disturbance (ß = 0.20, p < 0.001). And the effect of bullying victimization on sleep disturbance was moderated by mindfulness (ß = -0.16, p < 0.001), and the effect was invalid for children with high mindfulness (ß = 0.04, p > 0.05). Subgroup analyses indicated the buffering effect of mindfulness only existed among boys (ß = -0.19, p < 0.01) but not girls (ß = -0.11, p > 0.05), suggesting that mindfulness may buffer this association, mainly for boys.

How the Dark Triad associated with internet gaming disorder? The serial mediation of basic psychological needs satisfaction and negative coping styles.

According to the I-PACE model, this study focused on the role of need satisfaction and negative coping styles in the relationship between the Dark Triad (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) and internet gaming disorder (IGD). In a sample of 749 emerging adult gamers, a multiple mediation model with Dark Triad as the distal variable, psychological need satisfaction and negative coping style as mediating variables, and IGD as the outcome variable was tested. Results indicated that Machiavellianism and psychopathy were found to be significant predictors of IGD when mediated by psychological need satisfaction and negative coping styles. Narcissism predicts IGD only through the indirect effect of negative coping styles. The findings enhanced our understanding that Machiavellianism and psychopathy are characterized by compensatory use of internet games, as well as added new perspectives to the understanding of addiction mechanisms in narcissists.

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

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 (M age = 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.

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

BACKGROUND: With the increasing incidence of mobile phone addiction, mobile phone addiction has been considered to be related to adolescents' psychological distress. However, the underlying mechanisms of this relation were still unclear. The present study tested the mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of the capacity to be alone in the relation between mobile phone addiction and psychological distress. METHODS: 754 middle school students were recruited to complete measures of mobile phone addiction, rumination, the capacity to be alone, psychological distress and demographic variables. RESULTS: Mobile phone addiction was significantly and positively associated with psychological distress, and this link could be mediated by rumination. Moreover, the direct effect of mobile phone addiction on psychological distress and the indirect effect of rumination in this link were moderated by the capacity to be alone. Both these two effects were stronger for adolescents with lower capacity to be alone. LIMITATIONS: The present study is limited in terms of its sample selection, cross-sectional design, and self-reported instruments. CONCLUSIONS: The present study advances our understanding of how and when or for whom mobile phone addiction is related to serious psychological distress. Education professionals and parents should pay special attention to the psychological distress of adolescents suffering from mobile phone addiction, particularly for those with lower capacity to be alone.

Are bored minds more likely to be addicted? The relationship between boredom proneness and problematic mobile phone use.

BACKGROUND: Boredom proneness has been demonstrated as a salient vulnerability factor for problematic mobile phone use. However, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship are less investigated. In the current study, we constructed an integrative moderated mediation model to test the mediating role of depression and the moderating role of attentional control in the relationship between boredom proneness and problematic mobile phone use. METHOD: A total of 1099 college students (Mage = 20.04; SD = 1.25) were recruited to fill out the questionnaires measuring boredom proneness, depression, problematic mobile phone use, and attentional control. RESULTS: Depression partially mediated the relationship between boredom proneness and problematic mobile phone use. Attentional control moderated the indirect relationship between boredom proneness and problematic mobile phone use through depression, with the indirect relationship being weaker for college students with higher levels of attentional control. Moreover, attentional control moderated the direct relationship between boredom proneness and problematic mobile phone use, in that this relationship was stronger for college students with higher levels of attentional control. CONCLUSIONS: These findings illuminate the pathway through which boredom proneness is linked to problematic mobile phone use (i.e., mediation) and the condition on which the relationship between boredom proneness and problematic mobile phone use depends (i.e., moderation). More importantly, this study revealed the potential "double-edged sword" effect of attentional control. These findings have implications for early intervention and prevention of problematic mobile phone use in college students.

Does bullying victimization really influence adolescents' psychosocial problems? A three-wave longitudinal study in China.

BACKGROUND: Traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization are associated with adolescents' mental health problems, but the temporal sequence of these relations remains unclear. The present study analyzed the temporal and reciprocal relationships between both types of bullying victimization and six frequent psychosocial problems during adolescence: depression, general anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, social anxiety, and loneliness. METHODS: A total of 661 Chinese adolescents in grades 7 and 8 at the initial wave of the study responded to the survey items assessing their bullying victimization experiences and self-reported psychosocial problems. This research was conducted at three separate time points, over a year and a half period. RESULTS: Bullying victimization did not predict adolescents' psychosocial problems. Instead, adolescents with psychosocial problems were more likely to experience bullying victimization. Depression and general anxiety were two common predictors of traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization. Stress was a specific predictor of traditional bullying victimization, whereas self-esteem, social anxiety, and loneliness were specific predictors of cyberbullying victimization. Psychosocial problems did not differentially predict the two types of bullying victimization. Boys with higher levels of loneliness were more likely than girls to experience cyberbullying victimization. LIMITATIONS: The present study is limited in terms of its sample selection and self-reported instruments. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes adolescents' psychosocial problems as the potential risk factors for their future bullying victimization. Education professionals should pay special attention to adolescents' mental health problems when formulating bullying interventions and programs.

Social networking site addiction and undergraduate students' irrational procrastination: The mediating role of social networking site fatigue and the moderating role of effortful control.

With the popularity of social networking sites (SNSs), the problems of SNS addiction have been increasing. Research has revealed the association between SNS addiction and irrational procrastination. However, the mechanism underlying this relation is still unclear. The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of social networking site fatigue and the moderating role of effortful control in this link among Chinese undergraduate students. The Social Networking Site Addiction Scale, Social Networking Service Fatigue Scale, Effortful Control Scale and Irrational Procrastination Scale were completed by 1,085 Chinese undergraduate students. Results indicated that SNS addiction, SNS fatigue and irrational procrastination were positively correlated with each other, and negatively correlated with effortful control. Further analyses revealed that, SNS addiction has a direct effect on irrational procrastination. SNS fatigue mediated the relationship between SNS addiction and irrational procrastination. Both direct and indirect effects of SNS addiction on irrational procrastination were moderated by effortful control. Specifically, this effect was stronger for people with lower effortful control. These findings help clarify the mechanism underlying the association between SNS addiction and irrational procrastination, which have potential implications for intervention.