Mobile phone addiction and depression among adolescents: the moderation effect of family environment

PAPER manual Front Public Health 2026 Cross-sectional study Effect: harm Evidence: Low

Read original paper → DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1863623 PMID: 42454317 Evidence Lab

Abstract

Background: Mobile phone addiction (MPA) is positively associated with adolescent depressive symptoms, yet the moderating role of multidimensional family environments in this relationship remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify distinct family environment typologies and examine their moderating effects on the MPA-depression association among Chinese adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional, school-based survey was conducted among middle and high school students in China. MPA and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), respectively. Latent class analysis (LCA) was employed to identify family environment typologies based on seven socioeconomic and structural indicators. Moderated regression analyses tested interaction effects, adjusting for age and gender. Results: A total of 103,874 students (mean age 15.58 ± 1.74; 50.4% female) participated. LCA revealed three family clusters: "High-Resource Stable Family," "Low-Resource Cohesive Family," and "Low-Resource Fragmented Family." Adolescents in Low-Resource Fragmented family had significantly higher MPA and depression scores (p < 0.001). MPA was positively correlated with depression across all groups (p < 0.001). Family type significantly moderated this relationship, with stronger associations in both Low-Resource clusters (p < 0.05). Subgroup analyses showed specific moderation effects by gender and school level. Conclusion: Multidimensional family environments not only shape levels of MPA and depression but also amplify their association in socioeconomically disadvantaged and structurally fragmented contexts. Employing LCA to identify family typologies provides a nuanced, person-centered framework for targeting prevention efforts and identifying adolescents at elevated digital mental health risk.

AI evidence extraction

At a glance

Study type

Cross-sectional study

Effect direction

harm

Population

Middle and high school students in China; mean age 15.58 years, 50.4% female

Sample size

103874

Exposure

mobile phone

Evidence strength

Low

Confidence: 99% · Peer-reviewed: yes

Main findings

Mobile phone addiction was positively correlated with depressive symptoms across all identified family groups. The association was stronger in the two low-resource family clusters, and adolescents from low-resource fragmented families had higher mobile phone addiction and depression scores.

Outcomes measured

Depressive symptoms measured using PHQ-9
Mobile phone addiction measured using MPAI
Moderation by family environment typology

Limitations

Cross-sectional design precludes establishing temporality or causality
Study assessed behavioral mobile phone addiction rather than electromagnetic-field exposure

View raw extracted JSON

{
    "study_type": "cross_sectional",
    "exposure": {
        "band": null,
        "source": "mobile phone",
        "frequency_mhz": null,
        "sar_wkg": null,
        "duration": null
    },
    "population": "Middle and high school students in China; mean age 15.58 years, 50.4% female",
    "sample_size": 103874,
    "outcomes": [
        "Depressive symptoms measured using PHQ-9",
        "Mobile phone addiction measured using MPAI",
        "Moderation by family environment typology"
    ],
    "main_findings": "Mobile phone addiction was positively correlated with depressive symptoms across all identified family groups. The association was stronger in the two low-resource family clusters, and adolescents from low-resource fragmented families had higher mobile phone addiction and depression scores.",
    "effect_direction": "harm",
    "limitations": [
        "Cross-sectional design precludes establishing temporality or causality",
        "Study assessed behavioral mobile phone addiction rather than electromagnetic-field exposure"
    ],
    "evidence_strength": "low",
    "confidence": 0.9899999999999999911182158029987476766109466552734375,
    "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
    "keywords": [
        "mobile phone addiction",
        "depression",
        "adolescents",
        "family environment",
        "China",
        "latent class analysis",
        "mental health",
        "school-based survey"
    ],
    "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract/metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.

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