Understanding problematic TikTok use: Cognitive absorption, nomophobia, and life stress
Hou ACY, Pham Thi TD, Hou X
Acta psychologica · 0 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Cross-sectional study (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- No health outcome
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2025-09-09 · Acta Psychol (Amst) · vol. 260 · p. 105536
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Cited
- 1 citation · more than 88% of similar papers · 1.9× the field average
- References
- 55 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Technology Adoption and User Behaviour · Digital Marketing and Social Media
- Keywords
- cognitive absorption, nomophobia, life events, temporal dissociation, enjoyment, curiosity, digital well-being, young users, social media addiction
- MeSH
- humans, stress, psychological, cognition, adolescent, adult, middle aged, female, male, young adult
3 authors
From TW
- Avus C. Y. HouAsia Eastern University of Science and Technology
- Thuy Dung Pham Thi · correspondingAsia Eastern University of Science and Technology
- Xavier HouFar Eastern Memorial Hospital
Abstract
This study investigates the problematic use of TikTok by examining the roles of cognitive absorption, nomophobia, and life stress. While previous research has emphasized emotional factors such as stress and anxiety, this study highlights the significance of immersive user experiences. Cognitive absorption is conceptualized as a second-order construct comprising focused immersion, temporal dissociation, heightened enjoyment, and curiosity. Data were collected from 479 daily TikTok users and analyzed using component-based structural equation modeling. Results show that cognitive absorption is the strongest predictor of problematic use, followed by nomophobia and life stress. Additionally, life stress significantly predicts nomophobia. These findings suggest that optimal user experiences - not just emotional distress - can contribute to problematic app engagement. The study offers new insights into the dual nature of cognitive absorption and emphasizes the need for digital well-being strategies, particularly for younger users.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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