Liu Yihua, Zhao Xiaoge
Department of Sociology and Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
HNU-ASU International College, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Jul 16;15(7):962. doi: 10.3390/bs15070962.
Personal relative deprivation (PRD) is closely linked to a range of mental health problems. In the digital era, the association between social media use and PRD has received increasing attention. However, most studies have been conducted in Western contexts, and the underlying mechanisms in China remain unclear. This study examined the relationship between social media use and PRD among 2504 adult urban residents in China. Based on relative deprivation theory, it further explored the mediating role of subjective social status and the moderating role of belief in a just world. Results revealed that social media use was negatively associated with PRD. Subjective social status mediated this relationship: social media use was positively associated with subjective social status, while subjective social status was negatively associated with PRD. Moreover, belief in a just world strengthened the direct negative link between social media use and PRD, as well as the positive link between social media use and subjective social status. These findings suggest that social media are not always a risk factor for mental health. Their impact should be considered within specific cultural contexts and regulatory policies.
个人相对剥夺感（PRD）与一系列心理健康问题密切相关。在数字时代，社交媒体使用与个人相对剥夺感之间的关联受到了越来越多的关注。然而，大多数研究是在西方背景下进行的，其在中国的潜在机制仍不明确。本研究调查了中国2504名成年城市居民中社交媒体使用与个人相对剥夺感之间的关系。基于相对剥夺理论，本研究进一步探讨了主观社会地位的中介作用以及对公正世界信念的调节作用。结果显示，社交媒体使用与个人相对剥夺感呈负相关。主观社会地位在这种关系中起中介作用：社交媒体使用与主观社会地位呈正相关，而主观社会地位与个人相对剥夺感呈负相关。此外，对公正世界的信念强化了社交媒体使用与个人相对剥夺感之间的直接负向联系，以及社交媒体使用与主观社会地位之间的正向联系。这些研究结果表明，社交媒体并不总是心理健康的风险因素。应在特定文化背景和监管政策下考虑其影响。
