Cross-lagged analysis of rumination and social anxiety among Chinese college students.

BACKGROUND: Social anxiety, which is widely prevalent among Chinese college students, poses a significant barrier to their holistic psychological and physiological development. Although numerous cross-sectional studies have examined the relationship between rumination and social anxiety, there is still a gap in understanding their interplay over time. This longitudinal study aimed to explore and analyze the intricate interrelations between these two factors, with the ultimate goal of informing the development of effective mental health education interventions for university students. METHODS: Using the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) and the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS), a two-stage longitudinal follow-up study of 392 college students from three universities in Henan Province was conducted over a six-month period (October 2022 to March 2023) using a cross-lagged model to explore the correlation between rumination and social anxiety. The results of the correlation analysis showed that rumination was positively associated with social anxiety at both time points (r = 0.18,0.12, p < 0.01). RESULTS: Cross-lagged regression analyses revealed that the predictive effect of the first measure (T1) rumination on the second measure (T2) rumination was statistically significant (ß = 0.32, p < 0.001). The predictive effect of T1 social anxiety on T2 social anxiety was statistically significant (ß = 0.65, p < 0.001), the predictive effect of T1 rumination on T2 social anxiety was statistically significant (ß = 0.33, p < 0.001), and the prediction of T1 social anxiety on T2 rumination was statistically significant (ß = 0.28, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: College students' rumination and social anxiety are mutually predictive of each other, and interventions by educators in either of these areas have the potential to interrupt the vicious cycle between ruminant thinking and social anxiety.

The relationship between loneliness and problematic social media usage in Chinese university students: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: A significant number of cross-sectional studies have explored the correlation between loneliness and problematic social media use. However, the causal relationship between these two key variables remains controversial, and the developmental relationship over time is unclear. METHODS: We conducted a one-year longitudinal study with 538 Chinese college students using questionnaires and employing cross-lagged and latent growth models to investigate the causal relationship and developmental dynamics between loneliness and problematic social media use. RESULTS: The results indicate that (a) loneliness and problematic social media use mutually and positively influence each other, establishing a bidirectional causal relationship; (b) Chinese college students experience a gradual increase in levels of loneliness and problematic social media use during their time in college; and (c) the intercept and slope of loneliness significantly and positively affect the intercept and slope of problematic social media use, and conversely, the intercept and slope of problematic social media use significantly and positively influence the intercept and slope of loneliness. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal the longitudinal relationship between loneliness and problematic social media use among Chinese college students and offer insights for researchers and educators to intervene in college students' loneliness and problematic social media use from a developmental perspective.