Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42145956›Full record

ArticlePeerJ2026

Reliability, factor structure, and criterion validity: testing the problematic social media use scale in Chinese college students.

Manyun Li, Tieqiao Liu, Xuyi Wang, Yunfei Wang, Yuzhu Hao, Shubao Chen, Marc N Potenza, Tania Moretta

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Article in PeerJ, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Manyun LiDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
Tieqiao LiuDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
Xuyi WangDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
Yunfei WangDepartment of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
Yuzhu HaoDepartment of Psychiatry, Hunan Second People's Hospital (Hunan Brain Hospital), Changsha, China.
Shubao ChenDepartment of Psychiatry & Clinical Psychology, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Marc N PotenzaDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America.
Tania MorettaDepartment of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Despite the increasing prevalence of problematic use of social media (PUSM) in the general population and in college students, there remains no fully agreed-upon clinical definition or assessment tool to identify and characterize PUSM. Caplan's cognitive-behavioral model of generalized problematic use of the internet may provide a conceptual basis for understanding PUSM. Methods: The present study aimed to test the psychometric properties of Caplan's model in the context of PUSM among Chinese college students. The Chinese version of the Problematic Social Media Use Scale (PSMUS, including five subscales: preference for online social interaction (POSI), mood regulation, cognitive preoccupation, compulsive use, and negative outcomes) was administered to Chinese college students. Results: Data from 788 students (mean age = 20.92 ± 2.74 years, 23.52% male) were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the feasibility of Caplan's model in the context of PUSM. Structural equation modeling revealed that POSI was a key factor which directly/indirectly ( Conclusion: The results support the adequate psychometric properties of the PSMUS in Chinese college students, thereby substantiating its utility in assessing PUSM in this population.

Indexed as

Internet Addiction DisorderSocial MediaStudentsAdolescentAdultChinaDigital MediaFactor Analysis, StatisticalFemaleHumansMalePsychometricsReproducibility of ResultsSurveys and QuestionnairesUniversitiesYoung AdultAddictive behaviorsChinese college studentsCompulsive behaviorsImpulsive behaviorsProblematic use of social mediaValidity

Identifiers

PMID42145956
PMCPMC13175062

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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.