The Relationship Between Stressful Life Events And Problematic Use Of Short-form Video Apps Among College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model

With the rapid development of internet technology and the widespread use of smartphones,many internet-related products are gradually being launched,from Twitter to Facebook,then from Weibo to We Chat.In this context,short-form video apps(SVAs)have been rising in recent years.Short-form video apps(SVAs)have attracted a wide range of users with their attractive content and novel gameplay,including many college students.College students generally use social networking sites,they are more sensitive to new things,but their discrimination ability and behavior control are weak.The current research on the problematic use of SVAs in college students is not in-depth.Therefore,based on the dual perspectives of the individual center and variable center,this study will investigate the relationship between stressful life events and problematic use of SVAs among college students,as well as the specific mechanism of action between ego depletion and dispositional mindfulness.This study consists of two parts.In the first study,the variable center method was used to investigate the characteristics of demographic variables of stressful life events,problematic use of SVAs,ego depletion,and dispositional mindfulness and the correlation among them,and to explore the ego depletion effect between problematic use of SVAs and stressful life events.And the moderating effect of dispositional mindfulness on the mediating pathway and direct effect.In the second study,the individual-centered method was used to explore the potential categories of problematic use of SVAs by college students,and the mediating effect of ego depletion between stressful life events and the potential categories of problematic use of SVAs,as well as the moderating effect of dispositional mindfulness on the pathways and direct effects of the mediating effect.In Study 1,1029 college students were selected as subjects,and the following results were obtained after data processing and analysis:(1)In terms of demographic differences,men had significantly higher levels of problematic use of SVAs than women,and sophomores,seniors,and graduate students all had significantly higher levels of problematic use of SVAs than freshmen;rural college students had significantly higher levels of stressful life events than college students from urban areas;and students in the humanities and social sciences got significantly higher levels of ego depletion than those in science and technology universities.(2)There is a significant positive correlation between stressful life events and problematic use of SVAs.There is a significant positive correlation between ego depletion and both stressful life events and problematic use of SVAs.Dispositional mindfulness was negatively correlated with stressful life events,problematic use of SVAs,and ego depletion.(3)Ego depletion partially mediates the predictive effect of stressful life events on the problematic use of SVAs.(4)The indirect effect of stressful life events on the problematic use of college students’ SVAs through ego depletion was moderated by dispositional mindfulness,which moderated the first half of the mediating effect.Specifically,dispositional mindfulness could regulate the predictive effect of stressful life events on ego depletion,and the positive predictive effect of stressful life events on ego depletion was stronger in individuals with high dispositional mindfulness levels.In Study 2,1029 college students were selected as subjects,and the following results were obtained after data processing and analysis:(1)Problematic use of SVAs by college students can be divided into three potential categories: "good group","high use-low dependency group" and "high use-high dependency group".(2)Ego depletion played a mediating role in the relationship between problematic use categories of SVAs and stressful life events.(3)The indirect effect of stressful life events on problematic use of college students’ SVAs was moderated by dispositional mindfulness,which could regulate the predictive effect of stressful life events on self-depletion.Both the variable-centered method and the individual-centered method show that ego depletion plays a mediating role in predicting the problematic use of SVAs by stressful life events,and the indirect effect of stressful life events on the problematic use of SVAs by college students through ego depletion is moderated by trait mindfulness.Trait mindfulness moderates the predictive effect of stressful life events on ego depletion.