Interpersonal relationships moderate the relation between academic stress and mobile phone addiction via depression among Chinese adolescents: A three-wave longitudinal study

Previous cross-sectional studies have suggested that addictive behaviors are associated with life stress; however, limited research has explored the longitudinal associations between problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) and academic stress from a developmental perspective. According to relevant theory (e.g., the stress hypothesis, compensatory Internet use theory, and self-determination theory), depression is thought to potentially mediate this association and interpersonal relationships might further play a moderating role. To examine the mediating roles of depression and the moderating role of interpersonal relationships between academic stress and PMPU, the method of longitudinal structural equation modeling was adopted. A total of 642 Chinese adolescents were recruited to complete four psychological tests at three 6-month intervals over 1.5 years. The results indicated that depression partially mediated the association between academic stress and PMPU (β = 0.232, p < 0.001; β = 0.220, p < 0.001; 95% CI = [0.154, 0.286]), and higher quality interpersonal relationships could attenuate the potential harmful effects of academic stress on PMPU through depression (β = -0.080, p < 0.01, 95% CI = [-0.137, -0.022]). Overall, our findings address the issue of how and when academic stress predicts time-lagged PMPU, which could enhance theoretical understanding and practical intervention over time.