Cited by 175Impact of Technology on AdolescentsSexuality, Behavior, and TechnologyChild Development and Digital Technology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 53 of the 53 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 75 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Loneliness and problematic mobile phone use among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The roles of escape motivation and self-control

Open access
Li, Jiayu, Zhan, Danni, Zhou, Yuhong, Gao, Xuemei·2021·Addictive Behaviors

Abstract

In this cross-sectional study, we explored the relationship between loneliness and problematic mobile phone use among Chinese adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the effects of escape motivation and self-control. We recruited 1034 adolescents (mean age 15.76 ± 1.20 years) from China. The results showed that loneliness was positively associated with escape motivation and adolescent problematic mobile phone use. Furthermore, when controlling for gender, escape motivation mediated the relationship between loneliness and problematic mobile phone use, and self-control moderated the relationship between escape motivation and problematic mobile phone use. Specifically, as self-control increased, escape motivation was less likely to induce problematic mobile phone use. Thus, loneliness and escape motivation may be factors that increase the risk of problematic mobile phone use, and self-control should be considered in prevention and intervention strategies aimed at attenuating adolescent problematic mobile phone use.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106857

Cites

53 of 53 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 75 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 49 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 23
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 27
38 of 38
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Loneliness precedes escape motivation and problematic mobile phone use in time, as required for the mediation model.

    “we used the PROCESS macro for SPSS (model 4) to examine the mediating effects of escape motivation in the relationship between loneliness and PMPU.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There are no unmeasured confounders of the relationships among loneliness, escape motivation, and problematic mobile phone use beyond gender.

    “using gender as a covariate”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The sample of adolescents from three high schools in Sichuan and Chongqing is representative of Chinese adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “We recruited 1034 adolescents (mean age 15.76 ± 1.20 years) from China.”
    “from three high schools in Sichuan and Chongqing, China”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The underlying mechanisms and the relationship between loneliness and problematic mobile phone use in adolescents have rarely been studied.

    “Previous studies have focused mainly on the direct relationship between loneliness and PMPU in college students, but the underlying mechanisms (e.g., how loneliness is associated with PMPU) and the relationship between loneliness and PMPU in adolescents have rarely been studied.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The relationship between escape motivation, self-control, and problematic mobile phone use is the same during the COVID-19 pandemic and in normal life before it.

    “Thus, whether it's during the COVID-19 pandemic or in normal life before it, self-control could alleviate the influences of escape motivation on PMPU.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The cross-sectional associations reflect the hypothesized temporal sequence in which loneliness precedes escape motivation, which precedes problematic mobile phone use.

    “Escape motivation fully, rather than partially mediated the effects of loneliness on PMPU.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The sample is representative of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Loneliness was significantly and positively associated with PMPU during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus supporting H1.”
7 of 7

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

  • Escape-motivation path has an incompatible t statistic

    Minor

    For the escape-motivation-to-PMPU path, dividing the reported coefficient of 0.44 by its standard error of 0.03 gives about 14.67, not 18.47. Even allowing both inputs to have been rounded to two decimal places cannot produce the reported t statistic.

    Reported 18.47 · recomputed 14.666667

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

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Show all 53 references

Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Cui, 2015, Relationship between mobile phone dependence, self-esteem and loneliness in college students, China Journal of Health Psychology. In Chinese., 23, 1193
  2. Gao, 2020, The relationship between college students' sense of emptiness and mobile phone dependence: The mediating effect of self-control, Chinese Journal of Health Psychology. In Chinese., 28, 1548
  3. Li, Q., & Huang, X. T. (2012). Self-control: Connotation, mechanism and prospect. Journal of Southwest University (Social Science edition). In Chinese., 38(2), 41-52+173. 10.13718/j.cnki.xdsk.2012.02.022. · DOI
  4. Liu, 2012, Mobile phone addiction and loneliness of college students, Chinese Mental Health Journal. In Chinese., 26, 66
  5. Liu, H., & Yu, H. L. (2011). The Relationship among University Students’ Mobile Phone Addiction and Mobile Phone Motive. Psychological Science. In Chinese., 34(6), 1453-1457. 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.2011.06.01. · DOI
  6. Shen, 2018, The relationship between social anxiety and smartphone overuse: Mediating effects of loneliness and motivation, Psychological Research. In Chinese., 11, 570
  7. Xie, 2014, The validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Adolescent Dual-Mode of Self-Control Scale, Chinese Mental Health Journal. In Chinese., 28, 386

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Items 101–174 of 174

Metadata

Authors
Li, J., Zhan, D., Zhou, Y., & Gao, X.
Affiliations
Southwest University (CN)
Corresponding author
Gao, Xuemei
Venue
Addictive Behaviors
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-07
Volume
118
Pages
106857
ISSN
0306-4603 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3128920942
Cited by
175
References
53
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 16
FWCI
43.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Addictive Behaviors (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Chongqing Research Program of Basic Research and Frontier Technology (cstc2018jcyjAX0480)
  • Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (SWU1909226)
  • National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences (19BSH112)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
  • Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
Keywords
loneliness, problematic mobile phone use, adolescents, COVID-19 pandemic, escape motivation, self-control, mediation, moderation, Chinese adolescents
MeSH terms
Self-Control, Cell Phone Use, COVID-19, Adolescent, China, Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Loneliness, Motivation, Pandemics

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