The relationship between mindfulness, self-control, and short video addiction among medical students

The prevalence of short video addiction is rising among college students, potentially exerting detrimental effects on their physical and mental wellbeing. Medical students, who experience relatively higher levels of academic stress, may be particularly susceptible to the adverse consequence of short video addiction. However, the specific factors influencing this addiction and the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood.

This study aims to examine the relationship between mindfulness, self-control, and short video addiction, as well as to identify potential profile characteristics of short video addiction among medical students.

The study employed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Self-Control Scale, and the Short Video Addiction Scale. A combination of variable-centered and person-centered research methodologies was utilized. A total of 892 medical students participated in the survey.

The results revealed the following: (1) Mindfulness and self-control abilities were found to be negatively correlated with short video addiction. Self-control served as a mediating factor between mindfulness awareness and short video addiction, exhibiting a total indirect effect of 83.33%. (2) Short video addiction was categorized into three levels: low-risk addiction (17.60%), medium-risk addiction (57.06%), and high-risk addiction (25.34%). (3) Logistic regression analysis revealed that students with low self-control were more likely to fall into the medium-risk and high-risk addiction categories. Additionally, non-only children were more likely to be classified into the medium or high-risk addiction groups compared to only children. (4) The mediation analysis based on latent profile categories shows that self-control in the medium-risk addiction group plays a mediating role between mindfulness and short-video addiction.

This study underscores the significant role of mindfulness and self-control in the intervention and prevention among different populations at risk of short video addiction. It also highlights the impact of individual demographic characteristics on the occurrence and progression of short video addiction. The implications of the research findings and the limitations of the study are thoroughly discussed.