ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2021
Effects of Social Networking Service (SNS) Addiction on Mental Health Status in Chinese University Students: Structural Equation Modeling Approach Using a Cross-sectional Online Survey.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Encountering the Other in the Digital Sphere: Emmanuel Levinas' "Ethics of the Face" and the Implications for Virtual Healthcare Ethics in Contemporary Society.Journal of religion and health · 2026Article
- Differences in Internalizing Problems Across Risk Groups of Smartphone Addiction: Simulation-Based Network Analysis of Intervention Targets.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Mental Health Issues and 24-Hour Movement Guidelines-Based Intervention Strategies for University Students With High-Risk Social Network Addiction: Cross-Sectional Study Using a Machine Learning Approach.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Social media use by teachers during work and its effects on their performance: the role of teacher's wellbeing and social media addiction.BMC psychology · 2024Article
- Article
- Effect of SNS addiction on prosocial behavior: mediation effect of fear of missing out.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Health-promoting behavior among undergraduate students in the COVID-19 era: Its association with problematic use of social media, social isolation, and online health information-seeking behavior.Archives of psychiatric nursing · 2023Article
- A serial mediation model of social media addiction and college students' academic engagement: the role of sleep quality and fatigue.BMC psychiatry · 2023Article
- Association Between Social Networking Site Use Intensity and Depression Among Chinese Pregnant Women: Cross-sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- The Mediating Role of Selfitis in the Associations between Self-Esteem, Problematic Social Media Use, Problematic Smartphone Use, Body-Self Appearance, and Psychological Distress among Young Ghanaian Adults.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Interventions in Chinese Undergraduate Students' Mental Health: Systematic Review.Interactive journal of medical research · 2022Review
- Social networking use, mental health, and quality of life of Hong Kong adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundAlthough social networking services (SNSs) have become popular among young people, problematic SNS use has also increased. However, little is known about SNS addiction and its association with SNS use patterns and mental health status.
objectiveThis study aims to test the mediating role of SNS addiction between SNS use patterns and mental health status among Chinese university students in Hong Kong (HK).
methodsAn online cross-sectional survey was conducted using a convenience sampling method. In total, 533 university students (323 [66.9%] female, mean age [SD]=20.87 [2.68] years) were recruited from February to March 2019. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association between SNS use and SNS addiction. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to examine the pathways and associations among SNS use, SNS addiction, psychosocial status, and mental health status (including anxiety and depressive symptoms).
resultsA longer time spent on SNSs per day (>3 h), a longer time spent on each SNS access (≥31 min), a higher frequency of SNS access (≤every 30 min), a longer duration of SNS use before sleeping (≥61 min), and a shorter duration from waking to first SNS use (≤5 min) were significantly associated with a higher level of SNS addiction (adjusted beta [aβ]=6.03, 95% CI 4.66-7.40; aβ=4.99, 95% CI 3.14-6.83; aβ=5.89, 95% CI 4.14-7.64; aβ=5.92, 95% CI 4.19-7.65; and aβ=3.27, 95% CI 1.73-4.82, respectively). SEM showed a significant mediating effect of SNS addiction in the relationship between SNS use and psychosocial status, and mental health status, including an indirect effect (β=0.63, 95% CI 0.37-0.93) and the total effect (β=0.44, 95% CI 0.19-0.72), while the direct effect was insignificant (β=-0.19, 95% CI -0.49 to 0.08).
conclusionsSNS use patterns were associated with SNS addiction, and SNS addiction mediated the associations between SNS use, psychosocial status, and mental health status of Chinese university students in HK. The findings suggest that screening for and addressing excessive SNS use are needed to prevent SNS addiction and mental distress among young people.
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