Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39953549›Full record

ArticleChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2025

Gender differences in symptom interactions between problematic smartphone use and social anxiety in adolescents: a network analysis.

Sipu Guo, Xinyuan Zou, Yanqiang Tao, Yichao Lv, Xiangping Liu, Silin Huang

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In one paragraph

Article in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sipu GuoInstitute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-0691-3313
Xinyuan ZouInstitute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-3952-465X
Yanqiang TaoInstitute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0301-3985
Yichao LvInstitute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8300-2479
Xiangping LiuInstitute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8764-2038
Silin HuangInstitute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China. hsilin@bnu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9839-7784

Funding

Humanities and Social Science Fund of Ministry of Education of China 18YJA190003National Natural Science Foundation of China 32071071
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIncreased prevalence of problematic smartphone use (PSU) in adolescents, results in a cycle of interaction between PSU and social anxiety. However, it is still unknown whether PSU and social anxiety symptoms have interacted among adolescents and whether there are gender differences in these symptoms. Therefore, this study investigated the gender differences in the symptom interactions between PSU and social anxiety via symptom network analysis.

methodsThis study included 2918 adolescents (52.71% boys; M

resultsThe most influential symptoms were "productivity loss" and "afraid of negative evaluation". "Afraid of negative evaluation" was the bridge through which PSU was related to social anxiety. Gender differences were not found in network strength but occurred in network structure. Although girls reported more social anxiety, boys had a tighter network structure. The correlation between PSU and social anxiety was greater in boys than in girls. The "inability to control craving" was particularly critical for girls, while "feeling anxious and lost" was prominent for boys.

conclusionsThe current study highlights the symptom interactions between PSU and social anxiety among adolescents and the gender differences in network structures. Further intervention that targets "afraid of negative evaluation" may disassociate the interaction between PSU and social anxiety symptoms. In particular, changing girls' cognitive ability (e.g., inhibition) and boys' negative emotions are potentially effective means of intervention. The limitations of the cross-sectional design and data-driven methodology necessitate interpreting the results with caution.

Indexed as

AdolescentGender differenceNetwork analysisProblematic smartphone useSocial anxiety

Identifiers

PMID39953549
PMCPMC11829345

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.