Abstract
Research has found that self-esteem is negatively associated with problematic smartphone use (PSU). However, the internal mechanisms underlying that relationship need further investigation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of depression and interpersonal trust in the relationship between self-esteem and PSU among adolescents. A questionnaire comprised of the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Inclusive General Trust Scale (IGTS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and personal questions was administered to 637 students (female = 355) at two middle schools in Shanghai, China. Correlation analyses, mediation analysis, and moderated mediation analysis were performed. A moderated mediation model was established, which revealed: (1) a significant negative association between self-esteem and PSU, (2) depression mediated the relationship between self-esteem and PSU, and (3) the influence of depression on the relationship between self-esteem and PSU was moderated by interpersonal trust. The results indicated that low self-esteem was a risk factor, and interpersonal trust was a moderating factor for PSU among adolescents in the sample. Building adolescents’ self-esteem and increasing their interpersonal trust might decrease their PSU.
Highlights
The past decade has witnessed a rapid rise in smartphone use
Selfesteem and problematic smartphone use (PSU) were negatively correlated, depression negatively correlated with self-esteem, and depression positively correlated with PSU
Interpersonal trust positively correlated with selfesteem, and it was negatively correlated with PSU and with depression
Summary
As of December 2018, the number of Chinese youth netizens exceeded 200 million, of which 90% were smartphone users (China Internet Network Information Center, 2019). Among adolescents, the smartphone, as an internet terminal, is the main point of access to the internet (We Are Social and Hootsuite, 2018; China Internet Network Information Center, 2019). Despite their portability, convenience, and versatility, smartphones are causing some problems, one of which is referred to as “problematic smartphone use” (PSU) (Kuss et al, 2018; Xie et al, 2018). “Problematic mobile phone use” is a term and concept found in recent literature (De-Sola et al, 2017; Jiang and Zhao, 2017) and reports published before the smartphone boom (Bianchi and Phillips, 2005; Jenaro et al, 2007; Chóliz, 2010), and “problematic internet use” or “internet addiction” is a concept that has provided theoretical and methodological support for studies on PSU (Salehan and Negahban, 2013; Lee et al, 2014; Lin et al, 2014)
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