Table 4.
Mediating Effects of Psychological Distress in the Associations Between Problematic Smartphone Use (PSPU) 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) | ||||
| PSPU→psychological distress | 0.85 (0.23) | 0.38 | 0.40, 1.30 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.46 (0.06) | −0.60 | −0.57, −0.35 | <0.001 |
| PSPU→QoL | 0.16 (0.13) | 0.10 | −0.10, 0.43 | 0.23 |
| PSPU→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.39 (0.10) | −0.23 | −0.59, −0.19 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Physical QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.42 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.97) | ||||
| PSPU→psychological distress | 0.85 (0.23) | 0.38 | 0.40, 1.30 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.56 (0.09) | −0.53 | −0.74, −0.37 | <0.001 |
| PSPU→QoL | 0.72 (0.22) | 0.31 | 0.28, 1.16 | 0.002 |
| PSPU→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.48 (0.12) | −0.20 | −0.72, −0.23 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Emotional QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.55 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.98) | ||||
| PSPU→psychological distress | 0.85 (0.23) | 0.38 | 0.40, 1.30 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.72 (0.09) | −0.63 | −0.90, −0.54 | <0.001 |
| PSPU→QoL | 0.24 (0.21) | 0.09 | −0.18, 0.66 | 0.25 |
| PSPU→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.61 (0.20) | −0.24 | −1.04, −0.26 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Self-esteem QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.16 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.30) | ||||
| PSPU→psychological distress | 0.85 (0.23) | 0.38 | 0.40, 1.30 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.24 (0.16) | −0.16 | −0.56, 0.08 | 0.14 |
| PSPU→QoL | 0.48 (0.38) | 0.14 | −0.28, 1.23 | 0.21 |
| PSPU→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.20 (0.13) | −0.06 | −0.43, 0.09 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Family QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.29 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.96) | ||||
| PSPU→psychological distress | 0.85 (0.23) | 0.38 | 0.40, 1.30 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.37 (0.10) | −0.38 | −0.56, −0.18 | <0.001 |
| PSPU→QoL | −0.49 (0.23) | −0.22 | −0.94, −0.04 | 0.03 |
| PSPU→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.32 (0.13) | −0.15 | −0.58, −0.08 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: Friends QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.23 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.97) | ||||
| PSPU→psychological distress | 0.85 (0.23) | 0.38 | 0.40, 1.30 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.53 (0.13) | −0.43 | −0.78, −0.28 | <0.001 |
| PSPU→QoL | 0.17 (0.30) | 0.06 | −0.43, 0.77 | 0.57 |
| PSPU→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.45 (0.15) | −0.16 | −0.77, −0.20 | -- |
| Exploratory Model: School QoL (R2=0.19 [psychological distress], 0.26 [QoL]; Power for mediation effect=0.81) | ||||
| PSPU→psychological distress | 0.85 (0.23) | 0.38 | 0.40, 1.30 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress→QoL | −0.32 (0.10) | −0.31 | −0.53, −0.12 | 0.002 |
| PSPU→QoL | −0.15 (0.24) | −0.07 | −0.63, 0.33 | 0.54 |
| PSPU→psychological distress→QoLa | −0.28 (0.09) | −0.12 | −0.47, −0.11 | -- |
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%.