Objectives This study investigated the influence of depression on academic helplessness among first-year high school students and examined whether academic engagement and smartphone dependency mediate this relationship. Methods Data were drawn from the 4th wave of the 2018 Korea Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS), with a final sample of 2,244 students (1,205 males, 1,039 females). Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 18.0, and the significance of individual mediation effects was tested using phantom variables. Results The findings revealed that: (1) depression significantly and positively influenced academic helplessness; (2) academic engagement mediated the relationship, indicating that higher depression levels reduced engagement, which in turn increased helplessness; and (3) smartphone dependency also mediated the relationship, whereby higher depression led to increased smartphone use, contributing to greater academic helplessness. Conclusions These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions aimed at enhancing academic engagement and promoting healthy smartphone usage habits, especially during the transitional period of high school when academic pressures intensify.
Young Mi Kim (2025) studied this question.