Psychological Development and Education ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (3): 427-435.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2025.03.13

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Longitudinal Relationship between Anxiety Symptoms and Problematic Smartphone Use among Chinese Junior High School Students: The Serial Mediating Role of Fear of Missing Out and Intolerance of Uncertainty

LIU Caimeng1, YUAN Guangzhe2, DING Xu3, FUNG Hongwang4, HUANG Mingyu5, LIN Jinqi6   

  1. 1. Institute of Education Science, Leshan Normal University, Leshan 614000;
    2. University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208, USA;
    3. School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518000;
    4. Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong 999077;
    5. Department of Health and Physical Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077;
    6. The Nethersole School of Nursing Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077
  • Published:2025-05-20

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Abstract: The present study investigated the relationships between anxiety symptoms, fear of missing out, intolerance of uncertainty, and problematic smartphone use among junior high school students. Two surveys were conducted with 494 junior high school students. The surveys were conducted 6 months apart. The results of cross-lagged path model showed that anxiety symptoms at T1 could positively predict problematic smartphone use at T2, while problematic smartphone use at T1 could not significantly predict anxiety symptoms at T2. Further serial mediation analyses revealed that fear of missing out and intolerance of uncertainty serially mediated the relationship between anxiety symptoms and problematic smartphone use. The research suggests that anxiety symptoms may increase the incidence of problematic smartphone use, and that interventions to address the fear of missing out and intolerance of uncertainty may effectively reduce the incidence of problematic smartphone use.

Key words: junior high school students, anxiety, fear of missing out, intolerance of uncertainty, problematic smartphone use

CLC Number: 

  • B844
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