Is childhood emotional neglect associated with problematic smartphone use among adolescents? The mediating role of rejection sensitivity and depressive symptoms

Childhood emotional neglect is a critical risk factor for problematic smartphone use, but the underlying mechanism of this association remains unclear. The study explored the association between childhood emotional neglect and problematic smartphone use, and the mediating role of two types of rejection sensitivity and depressive symptoms, as well as the potential gender difference. 914 Chinese adolescents were recruited to complete scales regarding childhood emotional neglect, rejection sensitivity, depressive symptoms, and problematic smartphone use. The result found that: Childhood emotional neglect was positively related to problematic smartphone use. Angry rejection sensitivity mediated the relationship between childhood emotional neglect and problematic smartphone use independently, whereas anxious rejection sensitivity followed a sequential mediating path through depressive symptoms. Meanwhile, depressive symptoms also had an independent mediating role within this relationship and the mediation model was moderated by gender. The findings suggest that rejection sensitivity and depressive symptoms can be potential mechanisms associating childhood emotional neglect with problematic smartphone use, providing new perspectives on preventing and intervening in problematic smartphone use.