Problematic Smartphone Use and Adolescent Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Emotional Growth Mindset and the Moderating Role of Left-Behind Experience

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to identify latent profiles of mental health among Chinese senior high school students using latent profile analysis (LPA), and to examine the associations through which problematic smartphone use (PSU) is linked to mental health, focusing on the mediating role of emotional growth mindset (EGM) and the moderating role of left-behind experience (LBE). Methods: Using a dual-factor model of mental health as the conceptual basis for identifying mental health profiles, a cross-sectional survey was conducted of 34,831 students in Grades 10–12 in Tianmen, China. Validated scales were used to assess PSU, EGM, subjective well-being, and depressive symptoms. Results: (1) LPA identified four distinct mental health profiles: very low depression–high well-being, low depression–moderate well-being, moderate depression–moderate well-being, and high depression–low well-being. (2) PSU was directly associated with poorer mental health and showed an indirect association through EGM. (3) LBE moderated the first stage of the mediation pathway, i.e. the PSU–EGM association, with a stronger effect observed among students with LBE.