University freshmen's excessive smartphone use and psychological safety during the Covid-19 pandemic

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15524006
AutoresQingsong Yang (0000-0003-0531-5418, Zunyi Normal College), Mengxi Shi (0000-0003-0459-1699, Zunyi Normal College), Lianping Zeng (Guizhou Normal University), Ping Xu (0000-0001-6099-1748), Xu Ping (0000-0003-4431-6368, Guangzhou Sport University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2022
Volumen13
Páginas993555-993555
Fecha de publicación2022-10-06
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
EditorialFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2022.993555
PMID36276311
OpenAlexW4302286424
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas74

Although excessive smartphone use has been confirmed as being associated with specific representations of mental health (e. g., anxiety, depression, wellbeing, etc.) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the relationship between excessive smartphone use and cognitive representations of mental health (i.e., psychological safety) is not yet fully understood. This study aimed to identify the association between excessive smartphone use and psychological safety among university freshmen during the COVID-19 pandemic; in addition, we examined the mediation effects of hardiness and interpersonal distress in this relationship. In this study, 1,224 university freshmen were selected at random from several universities in Guizhou Province of China. The Psychological Safety Scale was used to evaluate the mental health of university freshmen; the Mobile Phone Dependence Scale was used to evaluate excessive smartphone use; the Hardiness Questionnaire was used to evaluate hardiness; and the Interpersonal Relation Synthetic Diagnose Test was used to evaluate interpersonal distress. The findings showed that: (1) the greater the degree of excessive smartphone use, the more serious respondents' interpersonal distress and the lower their hardiness; (2) excessive smartphone use was not only directly related to the psychological safety of university freshmen but also indirectly related to their psychological safety through the independent mediation of hardiness and interpersonal distress, as well as through the chain mediation of hardiness and interpersonal distress. In general, excessive smartphone use in university freshmen could lead to a decline in their psychological safety. Also, hardiness and interpersonal distress play a complex role in this relationship. During the COVID-19 pandemic, interventions on the mental health of college freshmen should not only provide guidance on how to use their smartphone responsibly but also to provide them with support and guidance for the enhancement of their hardiness and improvement of their interpersonal relationships

Anxiety · Distress · Hardiness (plants · Interpersonal communication · Mediation · Mental health · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research · Psychology · Social Psychology