Examining the multiple mediation effects of creative personality and self-esteem on the relationship between exercise and smartphone dependence in adolescents

The widespread use of smartphones has raised growing concerns about smartphone dependence among adolescents. This study investigates how exercise participation reduces smartphone dependence by examining the mediating roles of creative personality and self-esteem. Specifically, we examined a multiple mediation model to test how these two psychological constructs function both individually and sequentially. Using secondary data from the fifth wave of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018, we analyzed responses from 2,288 middle school students. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple mediation analyses using bootstrapping were conducted. Results showed that greater exercise participation was associated with lower levels of smartphone dependence. While self-esteem directly mediated this relationship, creative personality influenced it indirectly through its effect on self-esteem. The sequential mediation model demonstrated that exercise participation can enhance creative personality, which in turn may increase self-esteem, potentially leading to reduced smartphone dependence. These findings highlight the psychological benefits of physical activity and suggest that promoting exercise may serve as an effective strategy for addressing adolescent smartphone dependence by strengthening self-worth and creative engagement.