ArticleBrain and behavior2026
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Mediate the Association Between Peer Attachment and Problematic Use of Smartphone.
Article in Brain and behavior, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Mediate the Association Between Peer Attachment and Problematic Use of Smartphone.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundProblematic use of smartphone (PUS) is increasingly prevalent among adolescents and may be influenced by both peer relationships and emotion-regulation capacities. This study tested whether difficulties in emotion regulation mediate the association between peer attachment and PUS, and whether these pathways differ by gender, age, and school type.
methodsA cross-sectional survey recruited 12,099 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 18.93 years, 58% female) through stratified cluster sampling. Participants completed validated measures of PUS, peer attachment, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Structural equation modeling (SEM) examined mediation via a latent DERS factor, controlling for demographics. Multi-group SEM evaluated moderation across gender, age (> 18 vs. ≤ 18), and school (university vs. high school).
resultsPeer attachment was negatively associated with emotion-regulation difficulties (β = -0.296, p < 0.001) and with PUS (β = -0.144, p < 0.001). Emotion-regulation difficulties positively predicted PUS (β = 0.372, p < 0.001). The indirect effect (β = -0.110, 95% CI [-0.116, -0.104]) confirmed partial mediation. Multi-group SEM indicated significant moderation (Δχ
conclusionsEmotion-regulation difficulties partially explain the link between peer attachment and PUS in adolescents. The strength of these pathways varies by gender, age, and school context, highlighting emotion regulation as a promising intervention target.
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