Rumination mediates the relationships between social anxiety and depression with problematic smartphone use in Chinese youth: A longitudinal approach

Social anxiety and depression are closely related to smartphone use severity, and rumination is proposed as a prominent mediator. However, their longitudinal relationship is rarely explored. Three hundred and ninety-seven participants (272 females, Mage = 21.45 yrs.) completed online questionnaires at three waves half a year apart. At wave 1, social anxiety and depression were assessed, followed by the evaluation of rumination at wave 2, and finally the measurement of smartphone use severity at wave 3. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that rumination fully mediated the relationship between psychopathology (social anxiety or depression) and smartphone use severity. Additionally, a multigroup analysis revealed that social anxiety exhibited stronger associations with depression and smartphone use severity in females than males. The present study confirmed the longitudinal mediating role of rumination between social anxiety (or depression) and problematic smartphone use, which provides intervention studies with important targeting factors.