The impacts of academic stress on college students' problematic smartphone use and Internet gaming disorder under the background of neijuan: Hierarchical regressions with mediational analysis on escape and coping motives

Quantifying gender differences in the impact of internet addiction on adolescent depression: A causal inference approach

BACKGROUND

The rising prevalence of adolescent depression in China has raised concerns about internet influence. This study identified predictors of internet addiction (IA) and quantified its gender-specific impact on depression.

METHOD

In April-May 2023, 8176 adolescents from six (6) junior high schools in Henan, China, were randomly sampled. IA and depression were assessed via the 20-item internet addiction test (IAT) and 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-10) scale, respectively. IA's impact on depression was analyzed using four approaches: IPW (confounder weighting), DML (high-dimensional control), PSM (covariate balancing), and RA (residual adjustment).

RESULTS

Among the males, 31.8 % reported depression and 17.7 % reported IA while females, 49.4 % reported depression and 21.3 % IA. The mean ages were 14.5 ± 0.94 (males) and 14.4 ± 0.93 (females). DML revealed the overall effect of 0.22 (95 % CI: 0.17-0.23; p < 0.001), higher in males (95 % CI: 0.23, 95 % CI: 0.18-0.31) than females (0.17, 95 % CI: 0.11-0.23). IPW estimated an effect of 0.30 (95 % CI: 0.25-0.34; p < 0.001), also higher in males (0.34, 95 % CI: 0.28-0.39) than females (0.29, 95 % CI: 0.23-0.36). PSM and RA yielded similar results. Predictors of IA included low self-esteem, history of negative life events, poor sleep quality, and one-child family status.

CONCLUSION

Internet addiction (IA) exacerbates adolescent depression, disproportionately affecting males. Addressing self-esteem, negative life events, poor sleep, and one-child family challenges can mitigate IA's effects. Gender-sensitive interventions, school-based programs, and parental guidance are critical.

The Relationships Between Social Support Seeking, Social Media Use, and Psychological Resilience Among College Students

Introduction

Social networking sites (SNSs) have evolved into a commonly used instrument for searching and obtaining social support. While previous research has explored and validated the correlation between seeking social support and the recipient's physical or psychological well-being, few studies have illuminated the mechanisms through which this relationship manifests in SNSs usage. This study investigated how the tendency of college students to seek social support corresponds to their psychological resilience via different SNSs activities and interactions on Douyin (ie, TikTok's counterpart in mainland China).

Methods

Drawing from social support literature and the activity-audience framework governing social media use, we conducted a survey-based analysis involving a random sample of 536 self-identified Chinese college undergraduates.

Results

The findings reveal that students seeking social support were inclined to engage in active SNSs usage (eg, status updating) and interact with familiar individuals, regardless of their distance to campus. As for the consequences on psychosocial well-being, active utilization of SNSs did exert a significantly positive impact on resilience levels. Communication with friends from the same campus was confirmed as a functioning mediator within this relationship.

Discussion

This study contributes to the literature on social support and adolescent health by underscoring that the effectiveness of social support on psychosocial well-being is contingent on specific types of SNSs activities and interactants. It provides valuable insights into the nuanced dynamics of social support seeking behaviors on SNSs.

A chain mediation model of parent child relationship and academic burnout of adolescents

This paper studied the relationship and mechanisms of parent-child relationship, interpersonal relationship on campus, academic self-efficacy and academic burnout among adolescents. A study of 913 Chinese junior high school students from Fujian province (47.20% males, mean age = 13.99 years, SD = 0.81) was conducted using the Junior Middle School Students' Learning Weariness Scale, the Chinese version of parent-child affinity scale, the Loso Wellbeing Questionnaire, and the Academic Self-efficacy Questionnaire. (1) Academic burnout was negatively and significantly correlated with parent-child relationship (r = - 0.13, p < 0.01), interpersonal relationship on campus (r = - 0.11, p < 0.01), and academic self-efficacy (r = - 0.13, p < 0.01). Parent-child relationship was positively and significantly correlated with interpersonal relationship on campus (r = 0.23, p < 0.01) and academic self-efficacy (r = 0.38, p < 0.01). Interpersonal relationship and academic self-efficacy were positively and significantly correlated (r = 0.29, p < 0.01). (2) Parent-child relationship can significantly and negatively predicte academic burnout (β = - 0.082, p < 0.05). (3) Parent-child relationship affected academic burnout of adolescents via three significant indirect effects: the single mediating effect of interpersonal relationship on campus (effect = - 0.011) and academic self-efficacy (effect = - 0.019), and the chain mediating effect of interpersonal relationship on campus and academic self-efficacy (effect = - 0.003). Stronger parent-child relationship predicts lower levels of academic burnout. Moreover, parent-child relationship can indirectly affect academic burnout not only through the single mediating effect of interpersonal relationship on campus and academic self-efficacy but also through the chain mediating effect of interpersonal relationship on campus and academic self-efficacy.

Conceptual Utility Model for the Management of Stress and Psychological Wellbeing, CMMSPW™ in a university environment: theoretical basis, structure and functionality

This article describes and introduces the Conceptual Utility Model for the Management of Stress and Psychological Wellbeing, CMMSPW™ Its purpose is to assess, evaluate and treat stress and psychological wellbeing. First, the theoretical assumptions of the model are presented. This model is an application of the 3P Model, Theory of Internal vs. External Behavioral Regulation and the Model of Competency for the Management of Stress and Psychological Wellbeing. Second, the conceptual structure of the model is presented. This model allows the structural and functional determination of the variables and predictive, mediating and final factors for stress and psychological wellbeing. Third, the functional structure is presented. For predictive factors, the internal and external self-regulation theoretical model allows us to assess levels of internal and external regulation of the individual and their context, as well as other personal and contextual factors involved in self-regulation. For mediating factors, the model of competence for the management of stress and wellbeing allows us to analyze conceptual (concept and principles), mediating (skills and metaskills) and attitudinal (attitudes, values and habits) variables. Finally, in relation to factors that condition outcomes, we can determine levels of response to stress and psychological wellbeing. Finally, limitations and conclusions are presented. The model also allows us to determine predictive relationships between those three types of variables and is functionally transferable to other contexts, including contexts proper to the psychology of education, clinical practice and healthcare, and psychosocial, organizational and technological contexts.

Initial Psychological Reactions to COVID-19 of Middle Adolescents in Portugal

In its early stage, the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent public health measures brought several challenges to people in general, with adolescents being one of the most affected groups. To assess the psychological reactions of Portuguese adolescents in that early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted an online survey that was filled by a sample of 340 (67.6% female and 32.4% male) middle adolescents (aged 16 and 17 years). Using the Impact Event Scale-Revised and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, we found that most participants reported a normal score for depression, anxiety, and stress. However, 47.1% reported some level of pandemic-related traumatic distress, and 25.6% reported high severity values. The girls' levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and traumatic distress were significantly higher than those of the boys. Regression models showed that gender, number of symptoms experienced in the past days, self-reported health status, and concern with family were significant predictors of these mental health indicators. Our findings underscore the need for future research on the long-term traumatic psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in adolescents, and on the gender differences in this group. This will allow the development of strategies to identify and address at-risk adolescents, since the promotion of mental health and the prevention of pathology are imperative for the health of current and future generations.

The influence of job search stress on college students' addictive social media use: Seeking of social support and perceived social support as serial mediators and sense of coherence as a moderator

Resulting from an enlarged number of graduating college students and shrinkage of work opportunities, stress in relation to job search and employment is becoming an increasingly noticeable issue in China. Previous psychiatry research has suggested that social support can be conducive to reducing stress from multiple sources, while the effectiveness hinges on whether it is actually recognized and perceived by the recipients. The prevalence of social media has greatly facilitated the communication and exchange of social support information. However, they can also lead to overuse and addiction problems. This study aims to investigate how job search stress affects graduating college students' social media addiction severity using a serial mediation model and test the potential moderation effect of sense of coherence. Based on a sample of graduating college students (n = 144), our findings point out a significant pathway for the impacts of stress sequentially through seeking of social support and perceived social support. Furthermore, job search stress seems to have pronounced effects on the psychological need for social support only at low- and mid-levels of sense of coherence.