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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 16 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1541605
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring the Interconnections between Smartphone Addiction Negative Emotions, and Creativity View all articles
Mobile phone addiction and negative emotions: an empirical study among adolescents in Jiangxi Province
Provisionally accepted- Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
The relationship between mobile phone addiction and negative affect among adolescents is characterized by intricate interconnections. These factors have an impact on the emotional and psychological well-being of young people. While previous studies have provided preliminary insights into this relationship, further in-depth exploration and research is required to fully understand the complex mechanisms behind these relationships and to identify any group differences.Methods: This study collected questionnaire data from 493 adolescents aged 17-22 years old in Jiangxi Province. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, restricted cubic spline (RCS), and structural equation modelling (SEM) with the aim of exploring the mechanisms and differences in the effects of mobile phone addiction on negative emotions of different youth groups.The findings of the study indicated notable discrepancies in mobile phone addiction by gender and place of residence. Secondly, mobile phone addiction among adolescents positively drives negative emotions. The findings revealed that negative emotions triggered by mobile phone addiction were significantly higher among rural adolescents than urban adolescents; male adolescents exhibited higher levels than female adolescents in the same place of residence. Additionally, family factors, physical exercise and psychological resilience can directly or indirectly inhibit mobile phone addiction among adolescents. Finally, adolescents' psychological resilience can significantly alleviate the negative emotions associated with mobile phone addiction. Physical exercise and family factors can reduce the negative emotional impact of mobile phone addiction by increasing psychological resilience.This study employs the relationship between mobile phone addiction and negative emotions in adolescents, reveals the complex mechanisms and group differences behind these relationships, and provides a fresh perspective for understanding the impact of mobile phone addiction on adolescents' mental health, as well as a scientific basis for the development of effective interventions.
Keywords: Mobile phone addiction, Negative emotions, adolescents, differences, Restricted cubic spline, Structural Equation Modeling
Received: 08 Dec 2024; Accepted: 08 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Luo, Cai, Zu, Huang and Cao. 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:
Jin Luo, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
Xiaofang Zu, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
Qiming Huang, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
Qing Cao, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
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