Anxiety Disorders Linked to Problematic Mobile Phone Use in Chinese College Students

Strategic Insights -

Research conducted at the Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport has revealed a significant association between anxiety and problematic mobile phone use among Chinese college students. The study, published in BMC Psychology, found that fear of missing out on social media (FoMO-SM) and physical exercise independently mediate the relationship between anxiety and problematic mobile phone use (PMPU). The research utilized a convenience sampling method to assess anxiety, PMPU, FoMO-SM, and physical exercise among 3,857 Chinese college students. The study's findings suggest that FoMO-SM and physical exercise play a crucial role in understanding the intrinsic psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between college students' anxiety and problematic mobile phone use.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found a significant positive correlation between anxiety and problematic mobile phone use (r = 0.722) among Chinese college students.
  • Fear of missing out on social media (FoMO-SM) independently mediated the association between anxiety and problematic mobile phone use, with an effect value of 0.022, accounting for 3% of the total effect.
  • Physical exercise also played an independent mediating role between anxiety and problematic mobile phone use, with an effect value of 0.266, accounting for 36.8% of the total effect.
  • The study's findings suggest that FoMO-SM and physical exercise are significant predictors of problematic mobile phone use among college students.
  • The research provides a substantial reference point for developing targeted and timely intervention strategies to address problematic mobile phone use among college students.
  • Kai Qi, Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, 80-336, Poland
  • Shuqiao Meng, Yihang Huang, Panyi Shen, Nzubechi Onyebuchi, Wenxia Tong, Xiaotao Li, and Pengjun Meng, all from university-affiliated institutions
  • Springernature, publishers of BMC Psychology: Campus, 4 Crinan St, London, N1 9XW, England

Statistics:

  • 3,857 Chinese college students participated in the study.
  • The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) - Anxiety Sub-scale was used to measure anxiety.
  • The Mobile Phone Dependence Scale and the Fear of Missing Out Scale were used to measure problematic mobile phone use and FoMO-SM, respectively.
  • The Physical Exercise Rating Scale (PARS-3) was used to measure physical exercise.
  • AMOS software was used to perform structural equation model fit tests and research hypothesis path analysis.
  • SPSS 29.0 was used for data analysis.

Sources:

  • The relationship between anxiety and problematic mobile phone use among Chinese college students: a moderated mediation model. BMC Psychology, 2025;13(1):1091.
  • NewsRx. New Findings in Anxiety Disorders Described from Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport (The relationship between anxiety and problematic mobile phone use among Chinese college students: a moderated mediation model). Health & Medicine Week. October 17, 2025; p 3216.