Relationships between daily emotional experiences and smartphone addiction among college students: moderated mediating role of gender and mental health problems

IntroductionThe theoretical model of smartphone addiction highlights the role of emotional factors in fostering addictive behaviors. However, most research has focused on long-term emotional states and pathologies, often overlooking the immediate effects of daily emotional fluctuations on smartphone...

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Main Authors: Qiuping Cheng, Ying Zhou, Hongying Zhu, Qunlong Wang, Wei Peng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1490338/full
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author Qiuping Cheng
Ying Zhou
Hongying Zhu
Qunlong Wang
Wei Peng
Wei Peng
author_facet Qiuping Cheng
Ying Zhou
Hongying Zhu
Qunlong Wang
Wei Peng
Wei Peng
author_sort Qiuping Cheng
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionThe theoretical model of smartphone addiction highlights the role of emotional factors in fostering addictive behaviors. However, most research has focused on long-term emotional states and pathologies, often overlooking the immediate effects of daily emotional fluctuations on smartphone usage and their mechanisms.MethodsOur study employed an online survey and a moderated parallel mediation model to explore how daily emotional experiences influence smartphone addiction among college students. We analyzed the mediating roles of anxiety, stress, and depression, and the moderating effect of gender.ResultsOur findings indicate that daily negative emotional experiences were positively correlated with smartphone addiction, with stress serving as a significant mediator in the relationship between both positive and negative emotional experiences and addiction. Interestingly, positive emotional experiences directly increased smartphone addiction risk among female students, but they also significantly reduced stress and depression, especially pronounced in women. Further analysis indicated that positive emotions primarily mitigate addiction through reducing stress, a pathway especially significant in females.DiscussionThe study not only confirms the substantial impact of emotional experiences on addiction but also deepens our understanding of their mechanisms, underlining the importance of considering the nature of emotional experiences and gender-specific effects in devising prevention and intervention strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-ea5e4e41fc9b429896c8a024eb1e332e2025-08-20T02:50:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-12-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.14903381490338Relationships between daily emotional experiences and smartphone addiction among college students: moderated mediating role of gender and mental health problemsQiuping Cheng0Ying Zhou1Hongying Zhu2Qunlong Wang3Wei Peng4Wei Peng5Insititute of Modern Services, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, ChinaMental Health Education and Counseling Center, Jinhua University of Vocational Technology, Jinhua, ChinaInsititute of Modern Services, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, ChinaInsititute of Modern Services, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, ChinaInsititute of Modern Services, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, ChinaSchool of Economics and Social Welfare, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, ChinaIntroductionThe theoretical model of smartphone addiction highlights the role of emotional factors in fostering addictive behaviors. However, most research has focused on long-term emotional states and pathologies, often overlooking the immediate effects of daily emotional fluctuations on smartphone usage and their mechanisms.MethodsOur study employed an online survey and a moderated parallel mediation model to explore how daily emotional experiences influence smartphone addiction among college students. We analyzed the mediating roles of anxiety, stress, and depression, and the moderating effect of gender.ResultsOur findings indicate that daily negative emotional experiences were positively correlated with smartphone addiction, with stress serving as a significant mediator in the relationship between both positive and negative emotional experiences and addiction. Interestingly, positive emotional experiences directly increased smartphone addiction risk among female students, but they also significantly reduced stress and depression, especially pronounced in women. Further analysis indicated that positive emotions primarily mitigate addiction through reducing stress, a pathway especially significant in females.DiscussionThe study not only confirms the substantial impact of emotional experiences on addiction but also deepens our understanding of their mechanisms, underlining the importance of considering the nature of emotional experiences and gender-specific effects in devising prevention and intervention strategies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1490338/fullsmartphone addictiondaily emotional experiencesanxietystressdepressiongender
spellingShingle Qiuping Cheng
Ying Zhou
Hongying Zhu
Qunlong Wang
Wei Peng
Wei Peng
Relationships between daily emotional experiences and smartphone addiction among college students: moderated mediating role of gender and mental health problems
Frontiers in Psychology
smartphone addiction
daily emotional experiences
anxiety
stress
depression
gender
title Relationships between daily emotional experiences and smartphone addiction among college students: moderated mediating role of gender and mental health problems
title_full Relationships between daily emotional experiences and smartphone addiction among college students: moderated mediating role of gender and mental health problems
title_fullStr Relationships between daily emotional experiences and smartphone addiction among college students: moderated mediating role of gender and mental health problems
title_full_unstemmed Relationships between daily emotional experiences and smartphone addiction among college students: moderated mediating role of gender and mental health problems
title_short Relationships between daily emotional experiences and smartphone addiction among college students: moderated mediating role of gender and mental health problems
title_sort relationships between daily emotional experiences and smartphone addiction among college students moderated mediating role of gender and mental health problems
topic smartphone addiction
daily emotional experiences
anxiety
stress
depression
gender
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1490338/full
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