The influence of meaning in life on children and adolescents' problematic smartphone use: A three-wave multiple mediation model

The relationship between problematic mobile phone use and meaning in life among adolescents: a latent profile analyses

PURPOSE

This study utilized Latent Profile Analysis to identify distinct profiles of meaning in life (MiL) among adolescents. Additionally, it aimed to investigate the relationships and specific impacts of sociodemographic variables and problematic mobile phone use on these identified profiles.

METHODS

A total of 989 adolescents participated in this study, completing the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Self-rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use, and sociodemographic questions. Latent Profile Analysis was used to differentiate between groups exhibiting distinct classes of meaning in life. Multinomial logistic regression analysis were employed to investigate the influence of various factors on these classes.

RESULTS

Latent profile analysis identified three distinct classes of meaning in life based on meaning in life questionnaire scores: low presence and search group (8.5%), high presence and search group (31.4%), and average presence and search group (60.1%). Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that problematic mobile phone use negatively affects latent classes of meaning in life among adolescents in the dimension of physical and psychological effects (p < 0.05). Furthermore, among sociodemographic variables, age, gender and left-behind experience and parents' marital relationship found to be influencing factors across the three latent classes (p < 0.05).

DISCUSSION

Our findings highlight significant heterogeneity in latent classes of meaning in life among adolescents. This underscores the need for tailored intervention plans based on their specific categorical characteristics. Addressing the influence of problematic mobile phone use and other relevant factors should be crucial considerations when promoting meaning in life development among adolescents.

"Meaninglessness makes me unhappy": examining the role of a sense of alienation and life satisfaction in the relationship between the presence of meaning and depression among Chinese high school seniors

Introduction

Given the high incidence of depression among adolescents and its serious consequences, investigating its influencing factors and mechanisms is of great theoretical and practical significance. This study aims to explore the mediating effects of a sense of alienation and life satisfaction on the relationship between the presence of meaning in life and depression among Chinese high school seniors.

Methods

Six hundred and twenty-one senior high school students (17.09 ± 0.45 years, 266 boys) were recruited from Shandong, China, to participate in the study. Participants completed the Adolescent Students' Sense of Alienation (ASAS), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II).

Results

Our findings revealed that (1) the sense of alienation and life satisfaction play a chain mediating role between the presence of meaning in life and depression among Chinese high school seniors; (2) the sense of alienation plays a mediating role between the presence of meaning in life and depression; (3) there are gender differences in the chain mediation model of the influence of the presence of meaning in life on depression.

Conclusion

This study reveals potential pathways through which the presence of meaning in life affects depression among Chinese high school seniors, offering support and a basis for future mental health interventions for this population.

Big Five Personality Traits, Personal Projects, and Compulsive Buying: A Causal Approach

The purpose of this paper is to predict compulsive buying based on the integration of explanatory units located at different levels of personality analysis (dispositional vs. motivational variables). More specifically, we propose a causal model that examines the extent to which personal projects (particularly, the domains of meaning and stress) channel the influence of the Big Five personality traits on compulsive buying. The results obtained from a structural equation analysis using a sample of 487 university students generally confirm the suitability of this mediating model. Specifically, while the meaning of projects channels the influence of all traits on compulsive buying, neuroticism and conscientiousness have-in addition to a direct influence on compulsive buying-an indirect influence through the stress of personal projects. The findings obtained not only make it possible to better understand the dynamics between personal variables of different nature and compulsive buying but also allow us to suggest some guidelines for preventive action and intervention on this complex problem.

Parent-adolescent conflict and problematic internet use among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of depression and the moderating role of school climate

BACKGROUND

Problematic Internet use (PIU) may lead adolescents to physical, emotional, social, or functional impairment due to the risky, excessive, or impulsive internet use manner. How do the experiences of adolescents influence them using the internet in a problematic manner? The answer to this question is the key to preventing and intervening PIU of adolescents. To address this question, we focus on the interactions among family (parent-adolescent conflict), school (school climate), and individual factors (PIU, depression), exploring the influence factors of PIU.

METHODS

A moderated mediation model was constructed to explore the relationship between variables. Using a two-wave longitudinal design with a six-month interval between timepoints, this study collected data from 801 Chinese adolescents (411 boys, Mage = 14.68) by questionnaires. Path analysis was employed to test the model and participants' age, sex and baseline were controlled.

RESULTS

Parent-adolescent conflict at Time 1 (T1) was positively related to PIU at Time 2 (T2) in adolescents. Depression at T2 mediated the relationship between parent-adolescent conflict at T1 and PIU at T2. School climate at T2 significantly moderated the mediation effect of depression on the relationship between parent-adolescent conflict at T1 and PIU at T2. Specifically, positive school climate could significantly weaken the negative effect of depression on PIU for adolescents with low level of depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study reveals that parent-adolescent conflict leads to PIU in adolescents through depression whilst the school climate moderates the impacts of depression on PIU. This adds further evidence regarding the significance of systematically and consistently incorporating family and school in the alleviating of problem behaviors displayed by teens.

Relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and internet addiction with insomnia and depression as multiple mediators during the COVID-19 pandemic: a three-wave longitudinal study in Chinese college students

BACKGROUND

The relationships between fruit and vegetable consumption (FV) and Internet addiction (IA) in college students still remained unknown together with the internal mechanisms. Given the limitations of previous cross-sectional design, longitudinal research was necessary to be conducted to explore more precise correlations. Using the three-wave data in a longitudinal design, this study aimed to explore the association between FV and IA among Chinese college students and potential multiple mediators of insomnia and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A total of 579 college students were recruited during three waves (T1: August 2020; T2: November 2020; T3: February 2021). FV (T1), insomnia (T2), depression (T2) and IA (T3) symptoms were reported. The descriptive statistics of the sociodemographic characteristics and correlation analyses of the study variables were calculated. The significance of the mediation effects was measured conducting a bootstrap method with SPSS PROCESS macro.

RESULTS

FV was negatively correlated with IA, and lower FV predicted higher risk of IA. Depression mediated the association between FV and subsequent IA. Insomnia and depression were multiple mediators, which in turn mediated the links between FV and subsequent IA.

CONCLUSIONS

The three-wave longitudinal study has revealed that FV had indirect effects on IA through individual mediating factor of depression and multiple mediating roles of insomnia and depression sequentially. The policy makers, educators and researchers should pay attention to the impact of the interventions from healthy diet, in order to optimize the coping strategies for preventing college students from IA.

Impacts of problematic smartphone use on children: Perspectives from main caregivers

PURPOSE

This study examines the impact of problematic smartphone use (PSU) on children aged six years and younger, as perceived by their main caregivers.

METHOD

Overall, 15 mothers who identified that their children used smartphones excessively were recruited and interviewed. Data were analyzed using summative content analysis.

FINDINGS

Participants reported various impacts of PSU that were categorized into developmental, behavioral, health, quality of life, and parent-child relational perspectives.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Efforts to prevent PSU in children are needed. Nurses' roles in the early assessment of PSU are essential.

Online Gaming Addiction and Basic Psychological Needs Among Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Meaning in Life and Responsibility

Individuals whose basic needs are naturally satisfied are much less dependent on their environment and more autonomous. Basic psychological needs (i.e., the general motivators of human actions) are significant predictors of online gaming addiction. Moreover, it has been posited that meaning and responsibility in life are at the center of life from an existential point of view. Therefore, a hypothetical model was tested to examine the relationships between basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness), online gaming addiction, responsibility, and meaning in life. Data were collected from a sample of 546 participants. Mediation analysis was conducted, and the results indicated that basic psychological needs, online gaming addiction, responsibility, and meaning in life had significant negative and positive relationships. The findings indicated that responsibility and meaning in life had a serial mediating effect in the relationship between basic psychological needs and online gaming addiction. The findings also showed that the inverse relationship between online gaming addiction and basic psychological needs was at least partially explained by meaning in life and responsibility. The results of the present study are of great importance and suggest that interventions to satisfy the basic psychological needs of adolescents may help prevent online gaming addiction.

Network analysis of internet gaming disorder, problematic social media use, problematic smartphone use, psychological distress, and meaning in life among adolescents

Background

Few studies have examined the connections between psychological distress, meaning in life, internet gaming disorder (IGD), problematic smartphone use (PSU), and problematic social media use (PSMU).

Methods

The central and bridging nodes of IGD, PSMU, and PSU symptoms were investigated using network analysis in China among 742 adolescents ( Mage = 15.39, SD = 1.68, range = 12–19; 53.23% female). The relationships between IGD, PSMU, and PSU and associated factors were investigated using a Directed Acyclic Graphs method.

Results

The results suggested that the central symptoms were withdrawal in IGD, mood modification in PSU, and tolerance in PSMU. Mood modification in IGD, mood modification in PSU, withdrawal in PSMU, and functional impairment in PSMU were the bridge symptoms. Males were more likely to experience symptoms of IGD than females, while females were more likely to need meaning than males. Stress is the root factor, while depression, meaning confusion, meaning anxiety, and meaning avoidance were closely associated with IGD, PSMU, and PSU.

Conclusions

The current research improved the understanding of IGD, PSMU, and PSU symptoms in teenagers and demonstrated the potential of dynamic systems perspectives on problematic use behaviors and stress/meaning-focused interventions.