Table 3.
Mediating Effects of Psychological Distress in the Associations Between Problematic Use of Social Media (PUSM) and Quality of Life (QoL)
| Model Path |
Unstand. Coeff. (SE) | Stand. Coeff. | LLCI, ULCI | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Model: Overall QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.59 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.98) | ||||
| PUSM→psychological distress | 1.61 (0.43) | 0.38 | 0.76, 2.46 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.41 (0.06) | −0.53 | −0.52, −0.29 | <0.001 |
| PUSM→QoL | −0.34 (0.25) | −0.11 | −0.84, 0.15 | 0.17 |
| PUSM→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.65 (0.25) | −0.20 | −1.20, −0.22 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Physical QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.38 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.93) | ||||
| PUSM→psychological distress | 1.61 (0.43) | 0.38 | 0.76, 2.46 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.38 (0.10) | −0.36 | −0.57, −0.19 | <0.001 |
| PUSM→QoL | −0.85 (0.43) | −0.19 | −1.69, 0.002 | 0.051 |
| PUSM→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.61 (0.26) | −0.14 | −1.21, −0.18 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Emotional QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.55 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.98) | ||||
| PUSM→psychological distress | 1.61 (0.43) | 0.38 | 0.76, 2.46 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.65 (0.09) | −0.56 | −0.82, −0.47 | <0.001 |
| PUSM→QoL | −0.46 (0.39) | −0.09 | −1.24, 0.33 | 0.25 |
| PUSM→psychological distress→QoLa | −1.04 (0.38) | −0.21 | −1.87, −0.35 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Self-esteem QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.16 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.08) | ||||
| PUSM→psychological distress | 1.61 (0.43) | 0.38 | 0.76, 2.46 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.10 (0.16) | −0.07 | −0.42, 0.22 | 0.52 |
| PUSM→QoL | −0.75 (0.72) | −0.12 | −2.18, 0.67 | 0.30 |
| PUSM→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.17 (0.28) | −0.03 | −0.82, 0.32 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Family QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.28 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.96) | ||||
| PUSM→psychological distress | 1.61 (0.43) | 0.38 | 0.76, 2.46 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.39 (0.10) | −0.39 | −0.58, −0.20 | <0.001 |
| PUSM→QoL | −0.74 (0.43) | −0.18 | −1.59, 0.11 | 0.09 |
| PUSM→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.62 (0.31) | −0.15 | −1.32, −0.13 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Friends QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.28 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.98) | ||||
| PUSM→psychological distress | 1.61 (0.43) | 0.38 | 0.76, 2.46 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.62 (0.12) | −0.50 | −0.87, −0.38 | <0.001 |
| PUSM→QoL | 1.41 (0.55) | 0.27 | 0.33, 2.49 | 0.01 |
| PUSM→psychological distress→QoLa | −1.00 (0.40) | −0.19 | −1.91, −0.36 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: School QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.27 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.77) | ||||
| PUSM→psychological distress | 1.61 (0.43) | 0.38 | 0.76, 2.46 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.29 (0.10) | −0.28 | −0.49, −0.09 | 0.005 |
| PUSM→QoL | −0.67 (0.45) | −0.15 | −1.57, 0.22 | 0.14 |
| PUSM→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.47 (0.23) | −0.11 | −1.00, −0.12 | -- |
Notes: aMediation models were tested using bootstrapping method with 5000 bootstrapping resamples. All models controlled for age, sex, and presence of physical illness.
Abbreviations: Unstand. Coeff., unstandardized coefficient; SE, standard error; Stand. Coeff., standardized coefficient; LLCI, lower limit of confidence interval at 95%; ULCI, upper limit of confidence interval at 95%.