Distinct effects of social support from family and friends on smartphone addiction among depressed adolescents: The role of loneliness and expressive suppression (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Smartphone addiction (SA) is a growing concern, especially among adolescents with depression. This study investigates the nuanced relationship between perceived social support (from family and friends/significant others), loneliness, expressive suppression, and SA in a large sample of depressed adolescents. OBJECTIVE The present study aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying the association between perceived social support and SA in depressed adolescents and explore the role of loneliness in this pathway. Further, it aims to differentiate and compare the potential effects of two different sources of social support (i.e., perceived social support from family and friends/significant others) on SA. Additionally, it explores the moderating role of expression inhibition in the relationships between perceived social support, loneliness, and SA. METHODS Data were collected from 2,341 Chinese adolescents (12-18 years old) diagnosed with depression. Perceived social support, loneliness, smartphone addiction, and expressive suppression were assessed using validated questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. RESULTS Loneliness was found to mediate the relationship between perceived social support and SA. Notably, perceived social support from family negatively predicted SA, while perceived social support from friends/significant others positively predicted SA. Expressive suppression moderated the association between perceived social support from friends/significant others and loneliness but not the association between family support and loneliness. CONCLUSIONS The study underscores the importance of differentiating between sources of social support when examining their impact on SA in depressed adolescents. Loneliness plays a crucial role in the pathway from perceived social support to SA, and emotional suppression may exacerbate this pathway when friend support is low. These findings have significant implications for the development of tailored interventions aimed at mitigating SA in this vulnerable population.