The Relationship Between Adolescent Experiential Avoidance and Smartphone Addiction
A Study Based on Latent Transition Analysis and Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17820974 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xiaoxiao Song (0000-0002-6200-8118, Hebei Mental Health Center), X Y Wang (0000-0002-8896-1521, North China Institute of Science and Technology), Xu Zhang (0000-0003-3490-2216, TED University), Quanwei Zheng (TED University), Xiujun Zhang (0000-0002-0154-5155, TED University), Shaobo Lyu (Hebei Mental Health Center, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 21522715261441401-21522715261441401 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2152-2715 • E-ISSN: 2152-2723 |
| Publisher | Mary Ann Liebert, Inc (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/21522715261441401 |
| PMID | 41999154 |
| OpenAlex | W7154841759 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
With the widespread use of smartphones among adolescents, smartphone addiction has become a growing mental health concern. Adolescents' limited self-regulation makes them particularly vulnerable to using smartphones to escape real-life stress, heightening addiction risk. However, the heterogeneity of addictive behaviors and the dynamic role of experiential avoidance have been underexplored. This 6-month longitudinal study surveyed 547 Chinese primary and secondary students using the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II). Latent profile analysis (LPA) and latent transition analysis (LTA) were applied to identify subgroups and examine transitions between these subgroups. Cross-lagged panel network analysis (CLPN) revealed key symptom interactions between experiential avoidance and addiction. The study identified two addiction subgroups: a stable "low-risk group" (84.9 percent) and a "high-risk group," 51.4 percent of whom transitioned to low risk over time. Logistic regression showed that experiential avoidance significantly predicted high-risk membership (odds ratios [OR] = 1.083-1.102) and deterioration within the low-risk group (OR = 1.036). The CLPN identified "online intimacy" (SPA-3) and "hesitation and overcautious" (EA-7) as driver nodes, with "withdrawal symptoms" (SPA-2) serving as a central node. These findings emphasize the crucial role of experiential avoidance in adolescent smartphone addiction and suggest symptom-level targets for early intervention. The results support acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) as a promising approach for reducing smartphone addiction among youth
Addiction · Addictive behavior · Experiential avoidance · Experiential learning · Logistic regression · Mental health · Smartphone addiction · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Mental Health Research Topics
Covariates and Mixture Modeling
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Solving the puzzle of deliberate self-harm
Risk factors for problematic smartphone use in children and adolescents
What are 'good' depression symptoms? Comparing the centrality of DSM and non-DSM symptoms of depression in a network analysis
Is smartphone addiction really an addiction?
Subtypes, Severity, and Structural Stability of Peer Victimization
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An Introduction to Latent Class Growth Analysis and Growth Mixture Modeling
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
A tutorial on regularized partial correlation networks.
Network Analysis
Preliminary Psychometric Properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II
Internet addictions outside of Europe
A conceptual and methodological critique of internet addiction research
Gender differences in associations between digital media use and psychological well‐being
Needing to connect
Symptoms of problematic cellular phone use, functional impairment and its association with depression among adolescents in Southern Taiwan
Experiential avoidance as a mediator in the relationship between shame and posttraumatic stress disorder
Negative School Gossip and Youth Adolescents’ Mobile Phone Addiction
The Role of Motivation Systems, Anxiety, and Low Self-Control in Smartphone Addiction among Smartphone-Based Social Networking Service (SNS) Users
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |