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How does problematic smartphone use impair adolescent self-esteem? A moderated mediation analysis

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Abstract

Recent research reveals that problematic smartphone use can impair adolescent self-esteem. However, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. The current study investigated (a) the mediating effect of procrastination in the association between problematic smartphone use and adolescent self-esteem, and (b) the moderating effect of upward social comparison in the relationships between problematic smartphone use and adolescent self-esteem. This model was analyzed with 762 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 16.79 years, SD = .91). Participants filled out questionnaires regarding problematic smartphone use, self-esteem, procrastination, and upward social comparison. The results indicated that procrastination mediated the link between problematic smartphone use and adolescent self-esteem. Moderated mediation indicated that the mediated path was stronger for adolescents with high levels of upward social comparison. These findings highlight the importance of identifying the mechanisms that moderate the mediated paths between problematic smartphone use and adolescent self-esteem.

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Funding

The present study was supported by the Outstanding Innovative Talents Cultivation Funded Programs 2017 of Renmin University of China, and fund building world-class universities (disciplines) of Renmin University of China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The Center of Internet + Social Psychology, Renmin University of China, No. 59 Zhongguancun Street, Haidian District, Beijing, 100872, China

    Pengcheng Wang & Li Lei

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  1. Pengcheng Wang
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  2. Li Lei
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Correspondence to Li Lei.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Wang, P., Lei, L. How does problematic smartphone use impair adolescent self-esteem? A moderated mediation analysis. Curr Psychol 40, 2910–2916 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00232-x

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