Family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students: Mediating effect of loneliness and moderating effect of capacity to be alone
BackgroundWith the increasing popularity of smartphones, mobile phone addiction in university students has attracted widespread societal attention. Previous studies showed that family functioning and mobile phone addiction are related. However, the potential mechanisms involved in this relationship...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1076852/full |
| _version_ | 1811168366703935488 |
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| author | Guan-Ru Li Jian Sun Jia-Nuo Ye Xiao-Hui Hou Ming-Qiang Xiang |
| author_facet | Guan-Ru Li Jian Sun Jia-Nuo Ye Xiao-Hui Hou Ming-Qiang Xiang |
| author_sort | Guan-Ru Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundWith the increasing popularity of smartphones, mobile phone addiction in university students has attracted widespread societal attention. Previous studies showed that family functioning and mobile phone addiction are related. However, the potential mechanisms involved in this relationship are unknown. This study examined the mediating effect of loneliness and the moderating effect of capacity to be alone on the relationship between family functioning and mobile phone addiction.MethodsA total of 1,580 university students were recruited. A cross-sectional study design and online questionnaire survey were employed to measure demographic variables, family functioning, loneliness, capacity to be alone, and mobile phone addiction in university students.ResultsFamily functioning is a significantly negative predictor of mobile phone addiction in university students, and loneliness has a mediating effect on the relationship between family functioning and mobile phone addiction. The capacity to be alone has moderating effects on the relationship between family functioning and loneliness and between family functioning and mobile phone addiction, and these correlation is stronger in university students with a low capacity to be alone.ConclusionThe moderated mediation model in this study improves understanding of the correlation between family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students. Education professionals and parents should pay particular attention to family functioning in mobile phone addiction, particularly university students with low capacity to be alone. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:26:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cbaae92097cf4dcf9f97745fa5c2e4d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:26:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-cbaae92097cf4dcf9f97745fa5c2e4d82023-02-09T06:38:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782023-02-011410.3389/fpsyg.2023.10768521076852Family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students: Mediating effect of loneliness and moderating effect of capacity to be aloneGuan-Ru Li0Jian Sun1Jia-Nuo Ye2Xiao-Hui Hou3Ming-Qiang Xiang4Graduate School, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, ChinaSchool of Athletic Training, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, ChinaGraduate School, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, ChinaSchool of Sport and Health, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, ChinaSchool of Sport and Health, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, ChinaBackgroundWith the increasing popularity of smartphones, mobile phone addiction in university students has attracted widespread societal attention. Previous studies showed that family functioning and mobile phone addiction are related. However, the potential mechanisms involved in this relationship are unknown. This study examined the mediating effect of loneliness and the moderating effect of capacity to be alone on the relationship between family functioning and mobile phone addiction.MethodsA total of 1,580 university students were recruited. A cross-sectional study design and online questionnaire survey were employed to measure demographic variables, family functioning, loneliness, capacity to be alone, and mobile phone addiction in university students.ResultsFamily functioning is a significantly negative predictor of mobile phone addiction in university students, and loneliness has a mediating effect on the relationship between family functioning and mobile phone addiction. The capacity to be alone has moderating effects on the relationship between family functioning and loneliness and between family functioning and mobile phone addiction, and these correlation is stronger in university students with a low capacity to be alone.ConclusionThe moderated mediation model in this study improves understanding of the correlation between family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students. Education professionals and parents should pay particular attention to family functioning in mobile phone addiction, particularly university students with low capacity to be alone.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1076852/fullmobile phone addictionfamily functioningcapacity to be alonelonelinessmoderated mediation model |
| spellingShingle | Guan-Ru Li Jian Sun Jia-Nuo Ye Xiao-Hui Hou Ming-Qiang Xiang Family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students: Mediating effect of loneliness and moderating effect of capacity to be alone Frontiers in Psychology mobile phone addiction family functioning capacity to be alone loneliness moderated mediation model |
| title | Family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students: Mediating effect of loneliness and moderating effect of capacity to be alone |
| title_full | Family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students: Mediating effect of loneliness and moderating effect of capacity to be alone |
| title_fullStr | Family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students: Mediating effect of loneliness and moderating effect of capacity to be alone |
| title_full_unstemmed | Family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students: Mediating effect of loneliness and moderating effect of capacity to be alone |
| title_short | Family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students: Mediating effect of loneliness and moderating effect of capacity to be alone |
| title_sort | family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students mediating effect of loneliness and moderating effect of capacity to be alone |
| topic | mobile phone addiction family functioning capacity to be alone loneliness moderated mediation model |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1076852/full |
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