Open Access

Shyness and problematic social media use among Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of psychological insecurity and the moderating role of relational-interdependent self-constructs

Xiang Shi^1,2,3, Ju Feng^1,2,3, Ming Gong^1,2,3, Yingxiu Chen^1,2,3, Jianyong Chen^1,2,3,*

1 School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China
2 Intelligent Laboratory of Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Crisis Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Jinhua, 321004, China
3 Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Jinhua, 321004, China

* Corresponding Author: Jianyong Chen. Email:

Journal of Psychology in Africa 2025, 35(1), 143-150. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2025.065772

Received 12 June 2024; Accepted 28 December 2024; Issue published 30 April 2025

Abstract

While the relation between shyness and problematic social media use (PSMU) among adolescents has been established, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this association remain largely unexplored. The present study examined whether psychological insecurity mediated the association between shyness and adolescents’ PSMU and whether this mediation was moderated by relational-interdependent self-construal (RISC). A total of 1506 Chinese adolescents (M_age = 13.74 years, SD = 0.98) filled out self-report measures of shyness, psychological insecurity, RISC, and PSMU. SPSS (version 23.0) and the PROCESS macro (version 4.1) were employed to test the proposed model. Mediation analyses indicated that psychological insecurity mediated the association between shyness and adolescent PSMU. Furthermore, moderated mediation tests revealed that RISC moderated the first half of the mediation path, whereby RISC ameliorated the detrimental effects of shyness on psychological insecurity, consequently reducing the risk of PSMU. The present study provides further evidence on the mediating and moderating mechanisms between shyness and PSMU, which has important implications for the prevention and intervention of PSMU. For adolescents who exhibited pronounced shyness and low levels of RISC, a promising strategy for mitigating their PSMU would be interventions designed to cultivate social skills, alleviate psychological insecurity, and enhance their RISC.

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Keywords

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