Childhood emotional neglect and problematic social media use among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model

Prior studies have found that emotional neglect in childhood exert a far-reaching influence on adolescent problematic behaviors. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms of childhood emotional neglect on adolescent PSMU remains largely unknown. Thus, the present study tested whether future negative time perspective (FNTP) mediated, and student-student relationship moderated, the link between childhood emotional neglect and adolescent PSMU. A sample of 842 Chinese adolescents (46.9% girls; M_age = 14.76 years; SD_age = 1.64) responded anonymously to questionnaires regarding demographic variables, childhood emotional neglect, FNTP, student-student relationship, and PSMU. The results showed that after controlling for gender and age, FNTP mediated the association between childhood emotional neglect and adolescent PSMU. Further, student-student relationship moderated the association between childhood emotional neglect and FNTP, and the positive association was stronger for adolescents with positive student-student relationship. These findings highlight those tailored approaches are necessary for the prevention and intervention of adolescent PSMU.