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Relatedness Need Dissatisfaction Perceived in Daily Life Increases Problematic Mobile Phone Use: A Longitudinal
Wei Hong1,2, Ru-De Liu3, Qingqing Li1,2
1Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China.
Journal of Adolescence
|November 30, 2025
Summary
Unsatisfying social connections contribute to problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) in adolescents, primarily through loneliness and maladaptive thinking. Interventions should focus on social skills and cognitive restructuring to reduce PMPU.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Health
- Digital Well-being
Background:
- Unsatisfying social relationships are linked to problematic mobile phone use (PMPU).
- Underlying mechanisms connecting social needs and PMPU require further investigation, especially using longitudinal mediation models.
- Theoretical frameworks like the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model inform this research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine if loneliness and maladaptive cognitions mediate the link between dissatisfaction with social relationships and PMPU.
- To investigate the longitudinal relationship between relatedness need dissatisfaction and PMPU in adolescents.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study of 1060 Chinese secondary school students over 18 months.
- Self-reported questionnaires administered at three 6-month intervals.
- Structural equation modeling used to analyze mediation pathways.
Main Results:
- Relatedness need dissatisfaction predicted PMPU, but this direct effect was mediated by other factors.
- Loneliness and maladaptive cognitions at Time 2 sequentially mediated the relationship between relatedness need dissatisfaction at Time 1 and PMPU at Time 3.
Conclusions:
- Social relationships significantly influence adolescent PMPU through emotional and cognitive pathways.
- Interventions targeting social connection enhancement and maladaptive cognition reduction are crucial for PMPU prevention and treatment.
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