Correlations between the variables.

<div><p>Evening-types are at higher risk of problematic smartphone use and addiction to social media, but little is known about the possible mediating factors. Given the rising prevalence and broad negative impacts of smartphone and social media addiction, these factors require identific...

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Main Author: Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo (10696540) (author)
Other Authors: Simon L. Evans (9597837) (author)
Published: 2025
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author Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo (10696540)
author2 Simon L. Evans (9597837)
author2_role author
author_facet Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo (10696540)
Simon L. Evans (9597837)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo (10696540)
Simon L. Evans (9597837)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-09-12T17:23:48Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1371/journal.pone.0331961.t003
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Correlations_between_the_variables_/30113908
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Science Policy
Mental Health
Virology
Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
validated measures online
tested mental health
ranging negative impacts
possible mediating factors
poorer sleep quality
link circadian preference
factors require identification
dysfunctional coping strategy
crucial explanatory variables
broad negative impacts
problematic technology use
significant mediating variable
partial mediation occurred
important findings point
social media use
young adults (<
div >< p
problematic smartphone use
social media addiction
social media
young adults
problematic smartphone
important implications
full mediation
significant mediators
n </
intervention strategies
higher risk
depression symptoms
average age
also associated
8 years
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Correlations between the variables.
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Dataset
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dataset
description <div><p>Evening-types are at higher risk of problematic smartphone use and addiction to social media, but little is known about the possible mediating factors. Given the rising prevalence and broad negative impacts of smartphone and social media addiction, these factors require identification. Young adults (<i>N</i> = 407) aged 18–25, with an average age of 19.8 years, completed a battery of validated measures online. We tested mental health (anxiety and depression symptoms), loneliness, and poorer sleep quality as potential mediators in the relationships between eveningness and problematic smartphone use and social media addiction. As expected, evening types had higher prevalence of problematic smartphone use and social media addiction. Eveningness was also associated with higher anxiety and depression symptoms, loneliness, and poorer sleep quality. Two separate parallel mediation analyses were then conducted, with these three factors entered simultaneously as mediators. For problematic smartphone use, a partial mediation occurred, with loneliness as the significant mediating variable. For social media addiction, both loneliness and anxiety were significant mediators, and a full mediation was found. These important findings point to loneliness and anxiety as crucial explanatory variables for problematic technology use in young adults, suggesting that young adult evening types resort to smartphone/social media use as a dysfunctional coping strategy for loneliness and anxiety. Given the prevalence of problematic smartphone use and social media addiction amongst young people worldwide, and their wide-ranging negative impacts, this has important implications for prevention and intervention strategies to enhance young adults’ mental health, functioning, and well-being.</p></div>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
id Manara_de3a4de8afac4d8ecfbc649bbbfd317d
identifier_str_mv 10.1371/journal.pone.0331961.t003
network_acronym_str Manara
network_name_str ManaraRepo
oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/30113908
publishDate 2025
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository_id_str
rights_invalid_str_mv CC BY 4.0
spelling Correlations between the variables.Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo (10696540)Simon L. Evans (9597837)Science PolicyMental HealthVirologyBiological Sciences not elsewhere classifiedvalidated measures onlinetested mental healthranging negative impactspossible mediating factorspoorer sleep qualitylink circadian preferencefactors require identificationdysfunctional coping strategycrucial explanatory variablesbroad negative impactsproblematic technology usesignificant mediating variablepartial mediation occurredimportant findings pointsocial media useyoung adults (<div >< pproblematic smartphone usesocial media addictionsocial mediayoung adultsproblematic smartphoneimportant implicationsfull mediationsignificant mediatorsn </intervention strategieshigher riskdepression symptomsaverage agealso associated8 years<div><p>Evening-types are at higher risk of problematic smartphone use and addiction to social media, but little is known about the possible mediating factors. Given the rising prevalence and broad negative impacts of smartphone and social media addiction, these factors require identification. Young adults (<i>N</i> = 407) aged 18–25, with an average age of 19.8 years, completed a battery of validated measures online. We tested mental health (anxiety and depression symptoms), loneliness, and poorer sleep quality as potential mediators in the relationships between eveningness and problematic smartphone use and social media addiction. As expected, evening types had higher prevalence of problematic smartphone use and social media addiction. Eveningness was also associated with higher anxiety and depression symptoms, loneliness, and poorer sleep quality. Two separate parallel mediation analyses were then conducted, with these three factors entered simultaneously as mediators. For problematic smartphone use, a partial mediation occurred, with loneliness as the significant mediating variable. For social media addiction, both loneliness and anxiety were significant mediators, and a full mediation was found. These important findings point to loneliness and anxiety as crucial explanatory variables for problematic technology use in young adults, suggesting that young adult evening types resort to smartphone/social media use as a dysfunctional coping strategy for loneliness and anxiety. Given the prevalence of problematic smartphone use and social media addiction amongst young people worldwide, and their wide-ranging negative impacts, this has important implications for prevention and intervention strategies to enhance young adults’ mental health, functioning, and well-being.</p></div>2025-09-12T17:23:48ZDatasetinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiondataset10.1371/journal.pone.0331961.t003https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Correlations_between_the_variables_/30113908CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/301139082025-09-12T17:23:48Z
spellingShingle Correlations between the variables.
Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo (10696540)
Science Policy
Mental Health
Virology
Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
validated measures online
tested mental health
ranging negative impacts
possible mediating factors
poorer sleep quality
link circadian preference
factors require identification
dysfunctional coping strategy
crucial explanatory variables
broad negative impacts
problematic technology use
significant mediating variable
partial mediation occurred
important findings point
social media use
young adults (<
div >< p
problematic smartphone use
social media addiction
social media
young adults
problematic smartphone
important implications
full mediation
significant mediators
n </
intervention strategies
higher risk
depression symptoms
average age
also associated
8 years
status_str publishedVersion
title Correlations between the variables.
title_full Correlations between the variables.
title_fullStr Correlations between the variables.
title_full_unstemmed Correlations between the variables.
title_short Correlations between the variables.
title_sort Correlations between the variables.
topic Science Policy
Mental Health
Virology
Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
validated measures online
tested mental health
ranging negative impacts
possible mediating factors
poorer sleep quality
link circadian preference
factors require identification
dysfunctional coping strategy
crucial explanatory variables
broad negative impacts
problematic technology use
significant mediating variable
partial mediation occurred
important findings point
social media use
young adults (<
div >< p
problematic smartphone use
social media addiction
social media
young adults
problematic smartphone
important implications
full mediation
significant mediators
n </
intervention strategies
higher risk
depression symptoms
average age
also associated
8 years