Longitudinal Effects of Stressful Life Events on Problematic Smartphone Use and the Mediating Roles of Mental Health Problems in Chinese Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: This three-wave longitudinal study investigated the effects of stressful life events on problematic smartphone use and the mediating roles of mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) in Chinese undergraduate students.Methods: A total of 197 undergraduate students completed the three-wave surveys. Their severity of stressful life events, mental health problems, and problematic smartphone use were assessed.Results: Regression analyses revealed that stressful life events at T1 was significantly associated with problematic smartphone use at T3. Mediation analyses showed that mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) at T2 fully mediated the association between stressful life events at T1 and problematic smartphone use at T3 (B = 0.042, 0.034, and 0.022, respectively).Conclusions: The present study revealed that stressful life events and mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) are predictors of problematic smartphone use in Chinese college students.

A systematic review on relationship between stress and problematic smartphone use

“…As shown in Table 1 (See Appendix), majority of these studies have employed cross-sectional design (n=32) [12], [14], [17]- [22], [24], [27], [28], [30]- [50], which involve one-off data collection and study the relationship between stress and problematic smartphone use at a single point in time [51]. Only a few studies have employed longitudinal design (n=3) [13], [23], [29], which involve multiple waves of data collection and study the relationship between stress and problematic smartphone use at different points in time over a period of time [51]. Most of the studies reviewed are conducted in China (n=17) [12]- [23], [27]- [29], [35], [36], [41], [44], [45], [47].…”

“…Only a few studies have employed longitudinal design (n=3) [13], [23], [29], which involve multiple waves of data collection and study the relationship between stress and problematic smartphone use at different points in time over a period of time [51]. Most of the studies reviewed are conducted in China (n=17) [12]- [23], [27]- [29], [35], [36], [41], [44], [45], [47]. Although they are relatively scant, some studies are also conducted in other countries such as Korea (n=3) [42], [43], [46], India (n=2) [33], [48], Malaysia (n=2) [14], [24], Turkey (n=2) [38], [39], United States (n=1) [13], Canada (n=1) [34], Netherlands (n=1) [31], Brazil (n=1) [49], Oman (n=1) [40], and Lebanon (n=1) [30].…”

“…The sample size of the studies reviewed are highly varied, which ranges from 96 (n=1) [49] to 5109 samples (n=1) [45]. Of these, majority of the studies reviewed have used 100-500 participants (n=16) [12], [13], [23], [29], [30]- [34], [37], [39], [40], [43], [46], [48], [50]. Other studies reviewed have involved 500-1,000 (n=13) [14], [17], [18], [21], [22], [24], [27], [28], [36], [38], [41], [42], [44], 1,000-2,000 (n=3) [20], [35], [47], and 2,000-3,000 participants (n=1) [19].…”

“…Regarding sampling methods, many studies reviewed have regrettably not specified their sampling method (n=15) [12], [19], [20], [21], [22], [24], [31], [32], [34], [38], [42], [43], [46], [49], [50]. Among those studies that have specified their sampling method, the most reported sampling method is convenience sampling (n=15) [13], [17], [18], [23], [27], [28], [29], [33], [35], [36], [37], [39], [40], [47], [48]. The primary consideration of convenience sampling is "the ease with which potential participants can be located or recruited" [52].…”

Psychometric Properties of the Smartphone Distraction Scale in Chinese College Students: Validity, Reliability and Influencing Factors

“…People aged between 10 and 29 years accounted for 29.7% of all Internet users in China ( 1 ). Today, almost every college student owns a smartphone, and they use this digital medium frequently on a daily basis ( 2 ). Digital media has many convenient and positive activities in education and entertainment of college students including online searching, accessing academic resources, communicating with instructors and peers, online payments and online shopping.…”