AUTHOR=Hu Huahua , Yang Xue , Mo Phoenix K. H. , Zhao Chengjia , Kuang Beibei , Zhang Guohua , Lin Guangyao TITLE=How mobile phone addiction is associated with suicidal ideation in university students in China: Roles of depression and online social support JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1001280 DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1001280 ISSN=1664-1078 ABSTRACT=Background

Recent studies have highlighted mobile phone addiction (MPA) as a potential risk of suicidal ideation. However, the mechanisms underlying that association require attention.

Objective

This investigation aims to examine whether the relationship between MPA and suicidal ideation would be mediated by depression, and buffered by online social support (OSS) in university students.

Methods

A convenient sample of 1,042 Chinese university students completed the measures of mobile phone addiction, depression, suicidal ideation, OSS in classroom settings. Moderated mediation analyses were performed to test the roles of depression and OSS in the association between MPA and suicidal ideation.

Results

MPA was positively associated with suicidal ideation through depression (indirect effect =. 23, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.28, p < 0.001); OSS moderated the association between depression and suicidal ideation (B = − 0.09, 95% CI: −0.13, −0.04, p < 0.001). Specifically, the effect of depression on suicidal ideation was weaker in individuals with high (versus low) OSS. OSS moderated the association between MPA and suicidal ideation (B = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.10, p = 0.001). The influence of MPA on suicidal ideation was non-significant among individuals with high OSS but negatively significant among students with low OSS.

Conclusion

The results enrich the understanding of how MPA may increase suicidal ideation, and highlight the potential importance of reducing depression and enhancing OSS to prevent suicidal ideation in university students.