The effect of smartphone addiction on depression among college students: a chain mediation effect of attention control and physical activity

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Purpose Depression, prevalent among college students, impacts physical and mental health, academic performance, and may lead to suicidal behaviors, burdening society and families. This study explores the relationship between smartphone addiction and depression in college students, focusing on the mediating roles of attentional control and physical activity. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 4,152 college students from five institutions in Shaanxi Province, China, using convenience sampling from February to April 2025. The survey employed the convenience sampling method. The instruments utilized for data collection included the Smartphone Addiction Scale, Depression Scale, Attentional Control Scale, and Physical Activity Scale. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS version 29.0 and the Process plug-in version 4.0 for statistical purposes. Results ① The results of the correlation analysis demonstrated that smartphone addiction was significantly positively correlated with depression (r = 0.535, P &lt; 0.001),and significantly negatively correlated with both attentional control (r=-0.481, P &lt; 0.001) and physical activity (r=-0.481, P &lt; 0.001;r=-0.537, P &lt; 0.001). ② depression was significantly negatively correlated with both attentional control (r=-0.310, P &lt; 0.0001),and physical activity (r=-0.398, P &lt; 0.0001). ③ The mediation effect tests revealed that both independent and chained mediation pathways involving attentional control and physical activity were significant in the relationship between smartphone addiction and depression. Specifically, three mediation paths were identified: Path 1(smartphone addiction → attentional control → depression) had a mediation effect value of 0.008, 95% CI [-0.0345,-0.1023], accounting for 1.4% of the total effect; Path 2(smartphone addiction → physical activity → depression)had a mediation effect value of 0.050, 95% CI [0.1690, 0.0831], accounting for 9.1% of the total effect; Path 3(smartphone addiction → attentional control → physical activity → depression)had a mediation effect value of 0.024, 95% CI [0.0882, 0.0323], accounting for 4.3%. Conclusion Smartphone addiction impacts depression among college students through direct and indirect pathways, with attentional control and physical activity serving as independent and chain-mediating factors. Interventions should focus on reducing excessive smartphone use and promoting physical activity and mental health education to enhance overall wellbeing.</p>