Open Access

ARTICLE

Longitudinal Impact of Childhood Psychological Abuse on Adolescent Smartphone Addiction: A Moderated Mediation Model

Junwei Zhang¹, Jingbo Wang², Qiangzhi Zuo³, Tong Han⁴, Yang Liu^5,*
1 Institute of Physical Education, Huaiyin Normal University, Huai’an, China
2 Wushu College of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
3 Department of Physical Education, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai’an, China
4 Department of Physical Culture, Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, Poland
5 School of Sports Science, Jishou University, Jishou, China
* Corresponding Author: Yang Liu. Email: ,
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Health Issues in Modern Society: Addictive Behaviors and Psychological Health)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.076641

Received 24 November 2025; Accepted 30 January 2026; Published online 03 April 2026

Abstract

Objectives: Existing research indicates a link between childhood physical abuse (CPA) and adolescent smartphone addiction (SA), yet it primarily relies on cross-sectional data. This leaves the longitudinal developmental pathways, including the mediating role of anxiety and the potential protective role of physical activity (PA), poorly understood and insufficiently examined. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal association between CPA and SA among Chinese middle school students, and to investigate the mediating role of anxiety and the moderating role of PA in this relationship. Methods: This study was conducted in two waves of a longitudinal design with an interval of three months from March to June in 2024. A convenience sampling method was used to survey 479 adolescents. After data matching and cleaning, 421 valid samples were obtained. The measurements included CPA, Anxiety, SA, and PA data. Correlation analysis and the construction of the moderated mediation model were conducted using SPSS and the PROCESS plugin. Results: CPA (including emotional abuse and emotional neglect) was positively associated with adolescents’ subsequent SA (r = 0.297 and 0.113). Anxiety significantly mediated the longitudinal relationship between CPA and SA (CPA → anxiety: β = 0.374, SE = 0.045, t = 8.339, p < 0.001; anxiety → SA: β = 0.447, SE = 0.046, t = 9.688, p < 0.001), indicating that higher levels of childhood psychological abuse were linked to increased anxiety, which in turn predicted greater risk of SA. In addition, PA was negatively associated with CPA (r = −0.194), anxiety (r = −0.396), and SA (r = −0.265), and moderated the association between CPA and anxiety (β = −0.119, SE = 0.045, t = −2.641, p < 0.01), such that higher levels of PA weakened the adverse effect of CPA on anxiety. Conclusion: These findings suggest that anxiety plays a key psychological mechanism linking childhood psychological abuse to adolescent SA, while PA may function as a buffering factor that attenuates this risk pathway. From an applied perspective, school-based prevention and early intervention programs that focus on anxiety reduction and the promotion of regular PA may help reduce the likelihood of SA among adolescents exposed to psychological abuse.

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Keywords

Childhood psychological abuse; smartphone addiction; physical activity; anxiety; longitudinal study

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