School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, 209 Tong Shan Road, Xuzhou 221004, Jiangsu, China.
School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, 209 Tong Shan Road, Xuzhou 221004, Jiangsu, China; Research Center for Mental Crisis Prevention and Intervention of College Students in Jiangsu Province, Xuzhou Medical University, China; Jiangsu Engineering Research Center of Biological Data Mining and Healthcare Transformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China.
Addict Behav. 2025 Jan;160:108170. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.108170. Epub 2024 Sep 18.
Anxiety and problematic smartphone use (PSPU) are prevalent issues among college students, and traditional research has tended to focus on cross-sectional data and grounded only in overall levels, thereby ignoring the complex interactions between the two over time. The development of network analysis methods has provided a new perspective for in-depth exploration of the relationship. This study aimed to explore the complex longitudinal interactions and specific pathways between problematic smartphone use and anxiety among Chinese college students from an internal specific symptom perspective. This study constructed a cross-lagged network model using longitudinal data on problematic smartphone use and anxiety symptoms in two waves of college students collected from 2022 to 2023 (N=741, M = 18.49, SD=0.81, 45.6 % male). The study found that anxiety symptoms and problematic smartphone use interacted with each other and had a vicious cycle of symptoms over time, with the effects of anxiety symptoms being more pronounced. "Feeling afraid" and "Uncontrollable worrying" had the most significant effects on the other symptoms, with "Impatient without the phone" and "Can't stand not having a phone" were more likely to be influenced by other symptoms. "Feeling afraid" may be a bridge symptom in the network to connect the anxiety and problematic smartphone use communities. The findings suggest that accurately intervening in the intrinsic link between problematic smartphone use and anxiety symptoms can combat the exacerbation of both problems simultaneously, resulting in more effective and comprehensive treatment.
焦虑和智能手机使用问题（PSPU）在大学生中普遍存在，传统研究往往侧重于横断面数据，并且仅基于总体水平，从而忽略了两者随时间的复杂相互作用。网络分析方法的发展为深入探索两者之间的关系提供了新的视角。本研究旨在从内部特定症状的角度探讨中国大学生中智能手机使用问题与焦虑之间复杂的纵向相互作用和特定途径。本研究使用 2022 年至 2023 年收集的两波大学生智能手机使用问题和焦虑症状的纵向数据（N=741，M=18.49，SD=0.81，45.6%为男性）构建了交叉滞后网络模型。研究发现，焦虑症状和智能手机使用问题相互作用，存在症状的恶性循环，且焦虑症状的影响更为显著。“感到害怕”和“无法控制的担忧”对其他症状的影响最大，而“没有手机就不耐烦”和“无法忍受没有手机”更容易受到其他症状的影响。“感到害怕”可能是连接焦虑和智能手机使用问题两个社区的桥梁症状。研究结果表明，准确干预智能手机使用问题和焦虑症状之间的内在联系，可以同时对抗两者的恶化，从而实现更有效和全面的治疗。
