The dual-path association between upward social comparison and short video addiction: parallel mediating roles of negative emotions and psychological resilience
Tian Y, Wang X
Frontiers in psychology · 1 citation
How it was studied
- Design
- Cross-sectional study (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- University or hospital
- Guizhou University
Based on 1 listed funder(s) and full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2026-05-19 · Front Psychol · vol. 17 · p. 1797909
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media
- Cited
- 1 citation · more than 98% of similar papers · 13.9× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 45 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Keywords
- upward social comparison, short video addiction, negative emotions, psychological resilience, university students, gender differences, risk and protective factors, social media addiction
2 authors
From CN, KR, TH
- Yuan TianGuizhou University of Commerce; Catholic University of Korea
- Xianli Wang · correspondingKrirk University
Abstract
Background
Short video addiction among college students has attracted increasing attention. Although upward social comparison has been linked to short video addiction, it remains unclear how negative emotions and psychological resilience jointly explain this association, and whether relevant pathways differ by gender. Drawing on Compensatory Internet Use Theory and the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model, this study examined a dual-path framework linking upward social comparison to short video addiction through negative emotions and psychological resilience.
Methods
Questionnaire data were collected from 714 college students in China and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The model tested the direct association between upward social comparison and short video addiction, the parallel mediating roles of negative emotions and psychological resilience, and gender differences in structural paths.
Results
Upward social comparison was positively associated with short video addiction and negative emotions, and negatively associated with psychological resilience. Both negative emotions and psychological resilience significantly mediated the association between upward social comparison and short video addiction. The indirect association through negative emotions was slightly stronger than that through psychological resilience. Multi group analysis showed that the association between upward social comparison and negative emotions was stronger among female students.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that upward social comparison, negative emotions, psychological resilience, and short video addiction can be understood within a parallel framework of risk related and protective processes. The results highlight the importance of addressing both emotional distress and resilience related resources in college students.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
Community trust
Loading…
How much do you trust this study's findings?
Comments
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inSomething wrong here?
Flag this study if its information, labels or funding look wrong. An editor reviews every flag.
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inEducational information about published research. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start or stop anything.