ArticleBMC psychology2024
The relationship between autistic traits and problematic smartphone use in adolescents: The serial mediating role of anxiety and executive dysfunction.
Article in BMC psychology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Caught in the Web of the Net? Part I: Meta-analyses of Problematic Internet Use and Social Media Use in (Young) People with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2025Pooled it
- Hospitalizations in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder are rising in Spain.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2026Article
- Association between Problematic Internet and Mobile Phone Use, autistic traits, and psychological distress among adults: A cross-sectional survey.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- Investigating the Mediating Role of Distress Between Nomophobia and Student Mindfulness: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Brain network alterations in mobile phone use problem severity: A multimodal neuroimaging analysis.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBased on the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model, this study aimed to explore the relationship between autistic traits and problematic smartphone use (PSU) among Chinese adolescents and to examine the serial mediation effect of anxiety and executive dysfunction in the association between autistic traits and PSU.
methodsThe Autism-Spectrum Quotient, Smartphone Addiction Scale, the trait version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Dysexecutive Questionnaire were administered to a sample comprising 412 senior high school students (average age = 17.05 years, SD = 0.65). Structural equation models were utilized to explore the simple and serial mediating role of anxiety and executive dysfunction played in the association between autistic traits and PSU.
resultsThis study found that social rather than non-social autistic traits were positively associated with anxiety, executive dysfunction, and PSU. Furthermore, after controlling for gender, anxiety and executive dysfunction acted as sequential mediators in the connection between social autistic trait and PSU. However, non-social autistic trait did not predict anxiety, executive dysfunction, or PSU.
conclusionThis study supports the I-PACE model and deepens understanding of PSU formation. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of addressing social challenges faced by adolescents with high autistic traits, providing a viable potential intervention pathway to promote healthy smartphone use in this population.
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