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Relationship Between Problematic Smartphone Use and Graduate Students' Research Self-Efficacy: A Moderated Mediation
Peng Li1, Jiangyuan Chen1, Zhitong Duan1
1Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 8, 2025
Summary
Problematic smartphone use negatively impacts graduate students' research self-efficacy (RSE) by increasing mental stress. A positive "stress-is-enhancing" mindset can mitigate these detrimental effects.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Digital Well-being
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Problematic smartphone use is increasing among Generation Z.
- Understanding its impact on academic performance is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the mechanism linking problematic smartphone use to research self-efficacy (RSE) in graduate students.
- To investigate the mediating role of mental stress and the moderating effect of stress mindsets.
Main Methods:
- Administered questionnaires to 2278 graduate students.
- Utilized measures including the Mobile Phone Addiction Index, Research Self-Efficacy Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and Stress Mindset Measure.
Main Results:
- Problematic smartphone use significantly reduces RSE.
- Mental stress mediates this relationship, with higher stress leading to lower RSE.
- A "stress-is-enhancing" mindset mitigates negative effects, while a "stress-is-debilitating" mindset exacerbates them.
Conclusions:
- Problematic smartphone use negatively affects RSE through increased mental stress.
- Stress mindsets play a critical role in moderating this impact.
- Interventions should consider promoting adaptive stress mindsets to support students.
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