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Background: Stressful life events (SLEs) can trigger psychological and behavioral problems among college students. Existing research has established a preliminary cross-sectional association between SLEs and online trolling. However, the longitudinal mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Methods: This study employed a structural equation modeling approach to conduct a three-wave longitudinal survey over six months, with three-month intervals, among 501 Chinese college students. This work aimed to develop a chain mediation model to examine the association between SLEs and online trolling, with a specific focus on the mediating roles of depression (emotional factor) and social networking site (SNS) addiction (behavioral factor). Participants completed validated scales measuring SLEs, depression, SNS addiction, and online trolling. Results: The findings suggest a direct correlation between SLEs and the phenomenon of online trolling among Chinese college students. Additionally, depression not only independently mediated the longitudinal relationship between SLEs and online trolling but also served as a serial mediator in conjunction with SNS addiction. Conclusions: This investigation focused on the influence of environmental stressors, as well as individual emotional and behavioral factors, on online trolling among college students, providing longitudinal evidence to clarify the mechanisms underlying online trolling and offering insights for its prevention and intervention.
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Zeng et al. (2026) studied this question.
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