Experiential avoidance as a prospective mediator of the relationship between problematic smartphone use and autistic...

The increasing use of smartphones has raised concerns about adverse psychological and social-cognitive outcomes among young people. This study aimed to prospectively examine the relationships between problematic smartphone use (PSU), experiential avoidance (EA), screen time, autistic traits (ATs), and theory of mind (ToM), and to test the mediating role of EA within a temporal design. Data were collected prospectively from 219 young adults (aged 18-35; M = 20.66, SD = 2.15) across three measurement points at one-week intervals. At Time 1 (T1), participants reported their weekly screen time and completed baseline measures of PSU, ATs, and ToM. At Time 2 (T2), the measure of EA was administered. At Time 3 (T3), final measures of ATs and ToM were administered. The results indicated that higher levels of PSU at T1 prospectively predicted an increase in EA at T2, which in turn prospectively predicted higher levels of ATs and lower levels of ToM at T3. Similarly, greater screen time at T1 also prospectively predicted an increase in EA at T2, leading to higher levels of ATs and lower levels of ToM at T3. The results indicate that experiential avoidance prospectively plays a mediating role in the relationship between PSU, screen time, ToM, and ATs. In the context of today's increasing digital addiction tendencies, these findings suggest that EA is a potentially important transdiagnostic variable to consider in assessments and interventions aimed at supporting socio-cognitive and emotional functioning.