The Association between Cyberbullying Victimization and Depression among Children: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Cyberbullying victimization is becoming more prevalent and adversely affects mental health. This research explores the relationship between the two variables and the underlying mechanism, especially for children, as the impact of mental health in childhood might last a lifetime. Primary school students (N = 344; Mage = 9.90; 43.90% girls) completed self-report questionnaires regarding cyberbullying victimization, self-perceived social competence, optimism, and depression at school. Gender and grade were controlled as covariates. Depression was positively predicted by cyberbullying victimization, while self-perceived social competence played a partially mediating role. In addition, optimism directly and indirectly moderated the effects of cyberbullying victimization on depression. Specifically, the effects were stronger for children with low levels of optimism. Therefore, efforts to enhance children's self-perceived social competence and optimism may reduce their depression resulting from cyberbullying victimization.

Social Exclusion and Depression among undergraduate students: the mediating roles of rejection sensitivity and social self-efficacy.

Nowadays, depression has been a prominent mental health problem throughout the world. A common but negative social experience, social exclusion (also known as ostracism) is a great risk factor for individuals' health and adaptation. Undergraduate students are in a development period of challenges and transitions, so they are vulnerable to suffering from depression and negative social experiences. Against this background, the present study aimed to examine the association between social exclusion and undergraduate students' depression as well as the underlying mechanism - the mediating roles of rejection sensitivity and social self-efficacy. Seven hundred sixty-two undergraduate students were recruited to participate in this study, who were asked to complete a set of questionnaires measuring social exclusion, depression, rejection sensitivity, and social self-efficacy. After controlling for gender, social exclusion was positively associated with undergraduate students' depression. And rejection sensitivity and social self-efficacy could significantly mediate this relation through three mediating paths - the separate mediating effects of rejection sensitivity and social self-efficacy, as well as the serial mediating effect of rejection sensitivity and social self-efficacy. These results could not only deepen our understanding of this theme, but also have several practical implications for the intervention of depression, for example, relevant social skill training and cognitive therapy could be adopted to intervene the rejection sensitivity and social self-efficacy.

Parental Mediation Moderates the Association Between Social Media Exposure and Tobacco and Alcohol Use: Differences Between Elementary and Middle School Students.

OBJECTIVE: With the popularity of social media among adolescents, the relation between social media exposure (especially exposure to undesirable content) and adolescent tobacco and alcohol use has attracted much attention. This study examined the association between social media exposure and tobacco and alcohol use, as well as the moderating role of parental active mediation and restrictive mediation; differences between elementary and middle school students were also investigated. METHOD: A total of 697 elementary school students ages 9-13 and 794 middle school students ages 12-18 were recruited to complete a questionnaire survey. RESULTS: Social media exposure was positively associated with tobacco and alcohol use among both elementary and middle school students. For elementary school students, both active mediation and restrictive mediation moderated the association between social media exposure and tobacco and alcohol use; for middle school students, neither of these moderating effects was significant. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that social media exposure is a risk factor for both elementary and middle school students. Both parental active and restrictive mediation are promising targets for intervention because they can mitigate the risk of social media exposure for elementary school students. However, further research should focus on factors that effectively buffer the negative effects of social media exposure on tobacco and alcohol use among middle school students.

Mobile phone addiction and psychological distress among Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of rumination and moderating role of the capacity to be alone.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing incidence of mobile phone addiction, mobile phone addiction has been considered to be related to adolescents' psychological distress. However, the underlying mechanisms of this relation were still unclear. The present study tested the mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of the capacity to be alone in the relation between mobile phone addiction and psychological distress. METHODS: 754 middle school students were recruited to complete measures of mobile phone addiction, rumination, the capacity to be alone, psychological distress and demographic variables. RESULTS: Mobile phone addiction was significantly and positively associated with psychological distress, and this link could be mediated by rumination. Moreover, the direct effect of mobile phone addiction on psychological distress and the indirect effect of rumination in this link were moderated by the capacity to be alone. Both these two effects were stronger for adolescents with lower capacity to be alone. LIMITATIONS: The present study is limited in terms of its sample selection, cross-sectional design, and self-reported instruments. CONCLUSIONS: The present study advances our understanding of how and when or for whom mobile phone addiction is related to serious psychological distress. Education professionals and parents should pay special attention to the psychological distress of adolescents suffering from mobile phone addiction, particularly for those with lower capacity to be alone.

Online interpersonal sexual objectification experiences and Chinese adolescent girls' intuitive eating: The role of broad conceptualization of beauty and body appreciation.

Interpersonal sexual objectification experiences are pervasive in online communication contexts, and their influence on positive eating behaviors should not be ignored. Broad conceptualization of beauty refers to how widely women and girls define female beauty in terms of both internal and external characteristics, and body appreciation refers to loving, respecting, and holding a positive attitude toward the body. This study examined the association between online interpersonal sexual objectification (OISO) experiences and intuitive eating, as well as the mediating role of broad conceptualization of beauty and body appreciation. Participants were 1152 Chinese adolescent girls aged 11 to 15 years who completed a questionnaire survey measuring OISO experiences, broad conceptualization of beauty, body appreciation, and intuitive eating. The results showed a negative association of OISO experiences with broad conceptualization of beauty and intuitive eating. Mediation analysis using structural equation modeling showed a negative association of OISO experiences with intuitive eating through broad conceptualization of beauty and body appreciation. These results suggest that programs aiming to improve healthy eating behaviors could direct adolescent girls to criticize the appearance-focused mindset in online interaction and encourage them to focus on body functionality, such as health, creative endeavors, and communication with others.

Social networking site addiction and undergraduate students' irrational procrastination: The mediating role of social networking site fatigue and the moderating role of effortful control.

With the popularity of social networking sites (SNSs), the problems of SNS addiction have been increasing. Research has revealed the association between SNS addiction and irrational procrastination. However, the mechanism underlying this relation is still unclear. The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of social networking site fatigue and the moderating role of effortful control in this link among Chinese undergraduate students. The Social Networking Site Addiction Scale, Social Networking Service Fatigue Scale, Effortful Control Scale and Irrational Procrastination Scale were completed by 1,085 Chinese undergraduate students. Results indicated that SNS addiction, SNS fatigue and irrational procrastination were positively correlated with each other, and negatively correlated with effortful control. Further analyses revealed that, SNS addiction has a direct effect on irrational procrastination. SNS fatigue mediated the relationship between SNS addiction and irrational procrastination. Both direct and indirect effects of SNS addiction on irrational procrastination were moderated by effortful control. Specifically, this effect was stronger for people with lower effortful control. These findings help clarify the mechanism underlying the association between SNS addiction and irrational procrastination, which have potential implications for intervention.

Qzone use and depression among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model.

BACKGROUND: Social networking sites (SNSs), which provide abundant social comparison opportunities, are ubiquitous around the world, especially among adolescents. In China, Qzone stands out as the most popular SNS. Due to the opportunity it provides for meticulous self-presentation, SNS may give the impression that others are doing better, which is detrimental to individuals' well-being. Based on social comparison theory, the current study aimed to investigate the association between Chinese adolescents' SNS (Qzone) use and depression, as well as the mediating role of negative social comparison and the moderating role of self-esteem. METHOD: A total of 764 adolescents (aged 12-18 years, M = 14.23, SD = 1.75), who had an active Qzone account, were recruited voluntarily to complete questionnaires on Qzone use intensity, negative social comparison on Qzone, self-esteem, and depression. RESULTS: More intense Qzone use was associated with higher level of negative social comparison on Qzone, which fully mediated the association between Qzone use and depression. Moreover, the mediating effect of negative social comparison on Qzone was moderated by self-esteem. The specific link between Qzone use and negative social comparison was weaker among adolescents with high self-esteem than those with low self-esteem. LIMITATIONS: As all the data in this study were self-reported and cross-sectional, causal associations cannot be identified. Additionally, the specific activities on SNS were not identified. CONCLUSIONS: Negative social comparison may be a key factor and mechanism accounting for the positive association between SNS use and depression, while self-esteem could protect adolescents from the adverse outcome of SNS use.

Gender, negative life events and coping on different stages of depression severity: A cross-sectional study among Chinese university students.

BACKGROUND: The effects of gender, negative life events, and coping on depression have been well-documented. But depression is a heterogeneous syndrome of which the severity ranged from mild depression to major depression. This study aimed to investigate the specific effects of gender, negative life events, and coping on different stages of depression severity. METHOD: A total of 5989 students (aged 16-25 years, M=20.85, SD=0.58), recruited from six universities in the central region of China using the stratified cluster sampling method, completed Life Events Questionnaire, Coping Response Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory-Ⅱ. RESULTS: Among the participants, 708 (11.8%) students presented different severity levels of depression. Gender, negative life events, positive coping, and negative coping all had significant effects on depression. That is, the possibility of being depressed was significantly higher in female university students, or students who had more negative life events, more negative coping, or positive coping. In terms of the different stages of depression severity, all these factors had significant effects on the stage from non- depression to mild depression; only gender, negative life events and positive coping had significant effects on the stage from mild depression to moderate depression; only gender had a significant effect on the stage from moderate depression to major depression. LIMITATIONS: The causal role of these factors on different stages of depression severity could not be inferred. Moreover, the participants were from a non-clinical population. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of gender, negative life events and coping varied in different stages of depression severity. The effects of life events and coping styles became insignificant with the increasing severity of depression, whereas the effect of gender remained significant. The results could provide guidance for the prevention, intervention, and treatment of depression.

Cue-induced craving for Internet among Internet addicts.

Intense craving is a core feature of addictive disorder, and cue-induced craving is believed to be a key factor in the maintenance and relapse of addictive behaviors. With the rapid development of the Internet, Internet addiction has become a widespread behavioral problem accompanied by many negative effects. This study used the cue-reactivity paradigm to examine cue-induced craving for the Internet among Internet addicts and non-addicts. Participants were exposed to Internet-related words, and asked to report their craving for the Internet. Results indicated that Internet-related words aroused cue-induced craving for the Internet among both Internet addicts and non-addicts; however, the craving was more intense among Internet addicts. These results suggest that craving may not be a unipolar, all or none state found only in addicts, but may also be present among non-addicts. They indicate that Internet-related words may be able to induce craving for the Internet, and that Internet addiction and other addictions may share similar underlying mechanisms. This finding has important implications for designing interventions for Internet addiction.