Mobile Phone Addiction and Adolescents’ Anxiety and Depression: The Moderating Role of Mindfulness

Prior studies have documented that mobile phone addiction is linked to anxiety and depression. However, the underlying processes that might moderate these associations remain unclear. The present research tested whether mindfulness moderated the relations between mobile phone addiction and both anxiety and depression in adolescents.

A sample of 1258 high school students (mean age = 16.76, SD = .94) in China completed the measures regarding their mobile phone addiction, anxiety, depression, and mindfulness.

Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that after controlling for gender and grade, mobile phone addiction was positively associated with adolescents’ anxiety and depression. In addition, the relationships between mobile phone addiction and both anxiety and depression were moderated by mindfulness, in that they were stronger for adolescents with lower levels of mindfulness.

The present research contributes to a deeper understanding of whether the links between mobile phone addiction and mental health problems (i.e., anxiety, depression) are moderated by important personality traits such as mindfulness. Limitations and research implications of these findings are discussed.