Although there are theoretically expected associations between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and materialism, there is a lack of research that examines these associations using a longitudinal design, focusing on both within-person and between-person effects. Clarifying this relationship may inform interventions for these related conditions. Accordingly, data from three annual waves collected from a substantial group of Chinese adolescents (N = 3029, Mage = 12.26 ± 2.36, male: 50.00%) were used to assess within-person and between-person effects in the association between PSU and materialism. Traditional cross-lagged panel models were utilized to analyze the data, which consistently showed reciprocal positive associations between PSU and materialism across all waves. In contrast, the random intercept cross-lagged panel model revealed that PSU and materialism exhibited reciprocal associations over time at the between-person level. However, no significant cross-lagged linkage was observed between PSU and materialism at the within-person level. These findings enhance our understanding of the temporal dynamic relationship between PSU and materialism and underscore the necessity to disaggregate within-person and between-person effects to elucidate the nature of the longitudinal associations between PSU and materialism. The study also has implications for theoretical and practical understanding.
Dai et al. (Wed,) studied this question.