TY  - EJOU
AU  - Wei, Qiaobo 
AU  - Zhou, Hui 

TI  - Social anxiety and adolescent students’ internet fiction reading: Self-esteem mediation and school grade moderation
T2  - Journal of Psychology in Africa

PY  - 2026
VL  - 36
IS  - 2
SN  - 1815-5626

AB  - We investigated the relationship between social anxiety on adolescent students’ internet fiction reading and mediation by self-esteem. A total of 774 adolescent students (female = 48.9%; mean age 13.39 ± 1.46) completed surveys on internet fiction addiction, social anxiety and self-esteem. Mediation analysis results indicated a significant school grade placement effect in internet fiction reading to be lower . The self-esteem of adolescent students plays a mediating role between social anxiety and internet fiction reading for higher internet fiction reading with higher self-esteem. This mediating effect accounts for about two-thirds of the total effect. This study suggests personal factors like self-esteem are important to how adolescent student’s navigate internet fiction reading. Student counselling and development services should pay attention to adolescent students’ social anxiety and improve their self-esteem, to reduce the tendency of adolescent students’ internet fiction addiction.
KW  - Social anxiety; internet fiction reading; self-esteem; adolescent students

DO  - 10.32604/jpa.2026.068776