A Stress-Induced Digital Escapism Framework for Understanding the Link Between Stress and Problematic Social Media Use.

Hwajin Yang, Frosch Y X Quek, Salin X H Yap, Germaine Y Q Tng, Gilaine Rui Ng

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

The Mediating Role of Psychological Inflexibility in the Relationship Between Social Appearance Anxiety and Problematic Social Media Use Among Adolescents.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
Article

4 · The record

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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

5 authors.

Hwajin YangSchool of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, 10 Caning Rise, Singapore 179873, Singapore.ORCID 0000-0002-0762-7194

Frosch Y X QuekSchool of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, 10 Caning Rise, Singapore 179873, Singapore.

Salin X H YapSchool of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, 10 Caning Rise, Singapore 179873, Singapore.

Germaine Y Q TngSchool of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Ave., Singapore 639798, Singapore.

Gilaine Rui NgSchool of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, 10 Caning Rise, Singapore 179873, Singapore.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Given that stress is a significant risk factor for problematic social media use, understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms is essential. We introduce the Stress-Induced Digital Escapism (SIDE) framework, which posits that negative internal emotional responses to external stressors may increase reliance on maladaptive emotion regulation strategies that fail to alleviate distress. These processes may, in turn, strengthen escapism motives that lead to seeking emotional relief through compulsive social media use. Using structural equation modeling (

Indexed as

escapism motivesexternal stress demandsinternal stress reactionsmaladaptive emotion regulation strategiesproblematic social media usestress-induced digital escapism framework

Identifiers

PMID42352686

DOI10.3390/bs16060853

PMCPMC13295697

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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.