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. 2021 Aug 5:12:670065.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.670065. eCollection 2021.

Peer Phubbing and Social Networking Site Addiction: The Mediating Role of Social Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Family Financial Difficulty

Xiaoyuan Chu  1   2   3 , Shutian Ji  1 , Xingchao Wang  4 , Jingyue Yu  1 , Yuxin Chen  1   5 , Li Lei  6
Affiliations

Peer Phubbing and Social Networking Site Addiction: The Mediating Role of Social Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Family Financial Difficulty

Xiaoyuan Chu et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

A growing body of research has pinpointed the consequences as well as mechanisms of phubbing. However, few studies have explored the relationship between peer phubbing and social networking site addiction. Based on the self-determination theory, the exclusion theory of anxiety, the social compensation model, and the reserve capacity model, the present study examined whether peer phubbing was positively related to social networking site addiction among undergraduates, whether social anxiety mediated the relationship, and whether this mediating process was moderated by family financial difficulty. Our theoretical model was tested using the data collected from 1,401 Chinese undergraduates (M age = 18.83 years, standard deviation = 0.93). The participants completed anonymous questionnaires that assessed their peer phubbing, social anxiety, social networking site addiction, and family financial difficulty. The correlation analysis indicated that peer phubbing was positively associated with social networking site addiction. The testing for moderated mediation further revealed that social anxiety partially mediated the association between peer phubbing and social networking site addiction, with family financial difficulty moderating the first stage. To be specific, the indirect association between peer phubbing and social networking site addiction via social anxiety was stronger for undergraduates in high family financial difficulty. The results from this study extend research on the potential consequences of phubbing as well as highlight the significance of uncovering the underlying mechanisms.

Keywords: family financial difficulty; peer phubbing; social anxiety; social networking site addiction; undergraduate.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The proposed moderated mediation model.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Family financial difficulty moderates the relationship between peer phubbing and social anxiety.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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