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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Anxiety and Stress Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1508756

Network analysis of the association between social anxiety and problematic smartphone use in college students

Provisionally accepted
Wanying Xing Wanying Xing 1Xianyang Wang Xianyang Wang 1Tingwei Feng Tingwei Feng 1Jiaxin Xie Jiaxin Xie 1Chang Liu Chang Liu 2*Xiuchao Wang Xiuchao Wang 1*Hui Wang Hui Wang 1Lei Ren Lei Ren 3*Xufeng Liu Xufeng Liu 1*
  • 1 Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
  • 2 Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
  • 3 Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Social anxiety (SA) and problematic smartphone use (PSU) have become increasingly common among college students in recent decades, with research indicating a mutual increase in risk. This study aim to deepen the understanding of how SA and PSU are interconnected at the symptom-level within this demographic using network analysis.We recruited 1,197 college students from four institutions in Shaanxi Province, China. Symptoms of SA and PSU were assessed through self-report questionnaires. A regularized Gaussian graphical model was used to estimate the relationships between these symptoms. We calculated Bridge Expected Influence (BEI) to identify key symptoms contributing to their co-occurrence. Additionally, a network comparison test was conducted to examine potential gender differences in the BEI values of the SA-PSU network.Results: Distinct relationships were observed between SA and PSU symptoms.Notably, the connections between 'Get embarrassed very easily' (SA3) and 'shyness in new situations' (PSU1), as well as between SA3 and 'Escape or relieve negative moods' (PSU8), showed the strongest inter-construct connections. SA3 and PSU8 were identified as the key symptoms contributing to the co-occurrence, with the highest BEI. Network comparison tests between males and females revealed no significant differences in global expected influence, between-community edges weights, and BEI.The key bridging symptoms this study identified supports the existing theories about the co-occurrence of SA and PSU, and contributes to understanding the underlying mechanisms. Our findings suggest that interventions targeting negative emotions in daily interactions could be effective in reducing PSU.

    Keywords: social anxiety, Problematic smartphone use, Network analysis, sex difference, college students

    Received: 09 Oct 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Xing, Wang, Feng, Xie, Liu, Wang, Wang, Ren and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Chang Liu, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, 3800, Victoria, Australia
    Xiuchao Wang, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
    Lei Ren, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin, China
    Xufeng Liu, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.