The Emotional Pathway to Addiction: A Dual-Path Mediation Model of Psychological Maltreatment and Social Media Dependence in Adolescents

Objectives: Social Media Dependence (SMD) has emerged as a growing public health concern among adolescents. Psychological Maltreatment (PM), characterized by denigration, intimidation, and emotional neglect, is considered an important familial risk factor for adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems. However, the psychological mechanisms linking PM to adolescent SMD remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to examine the relationship between PM and SMD and to explore the mediating roles of Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF), Depression (DP), and Anxiety (AN). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2243 Chinese adolescents. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and mediation analyses were performed using SPSS, AMOS, and PROCESS while controlling for demographic variables including age, gender, grade, only-child status, and accommodation. Results: Correlation analysis indicated that PM was significantly and positively associated with SMD (r = 0.218), DDF (r = 0.277), DP (r = 0.307), and AN (r = 0.307) (all p < 0.001). SMD was also positively correlated with DDF (r = 0.233), DP (r = 0.285), and AN (r = 0.293). Mediation analysis revealed that PM had a significant indirect effect on SMD through DDF, DP, and AN (total indirect effect = 0.105, 95% Bootstrap CI [0.085, 0.127]), accounting for 48.17% of the total effect. Both independent mediation pathways (PM → DDF → SMD; PM → DP → SMD; PM → AN → SMD) and chained mediation pathways (PM → DDF → DP → SMD; PM → DDF → AN → SMD) were significant. Conclusion: PM is a significant risk factor for adolescent SMD. Emotional difficulties and negative affect play key mediating roles in this relationship. Interventions that enhance emotional expression abilities and reduce depressive and anxious symptoms may help mitigate the impact of PM on adolescents’SMD.