RESEARCH ARTICLE
The relationship between loneliness and problematic smartphone use among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of negative emotions and maladaptive coping
Xiaoli Du,
Guangcan Xiang,
Mingyue Xiao,
Xinyuan Liu,
Jiayi Sun,
Cody Ding,
Hong Chen,
Xiaoli Du
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Search for more papers by this authorGuangcan Xiang
Tian Jiabing College of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
Search for more papers by this authorMingyue Xiao
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Search for more papers by this authorXinyuan Liu
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Search for more papers by this authorJiayi Sun
School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
Search for more papers by this authorCody Ding
Department of Educational Psychology, Research and Evaluation, University of Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Hong Chen
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Correspondence Hong Chen, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Tiansheng Rd No. 2, Beibei District, Chongqing, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorXiaoli Du,
Guangcan Xiang,
Mingyue Xiao,
Xinyuan Liu,
Jiayi Sun,
Cody Ding,
Hong Chen,
Xiaoli Du
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Search for more papers by this authorGuangcan Xiang
Tian Jiabing College of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
Search for more papers by this authorMingyue Xiao
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Search for more papers by this authorXinyuan Liu
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Search for more papers by this authorJiayi Sun
School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
Search for more papers by this authorCody Ding
Department of Educational Psychology, Research and Evaluation, University of Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Hong Chen
Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Correspondence Hong Chen, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Tiansheng Rd No. 2, Beibei District, Chongqing, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Introduction
Given the observed increased feelings of loneliness and problematic smartphone use among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, further research was needed to determine whether and how the increased loneliness of adolescents during such major public health crisis events affects the risk of problematic smartphone use among adolescents. This study aimed to examine the relationship between loneliness and problematic smartphone use among Chinese adolescents (aged 10–16 years) during the COVID-19 pandemic and to investigate the possible mediating role of negative emotions and maladaptive coping.
Methods
A total of 672 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 13.05, SD = 1.51, 50.4% boys, 93.8% from rural areas, 22.5% of whom were only children) took part in this cross-sectional study in April 2022 by completing the Chinese adolescent version of the Loneliness Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (subscale), the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, and the Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale.
Results
The serial mediation model revealed that negative emotions and maladaptive coping independently mediated the relationship between adolescents' loneliness and problematic smartphone use. In addition, the mediation effects of “negative emotions-maladaptive coping” could also mediate the relationship between loneliness and problematic smartphone use.
Conclusions
Loneliness may be positively related to problematic smartphone use through negative emotions and maladaptive coping among adolescents during major public health crisis events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Data will be available on request.
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