Short-term longitudinal relationship between cumulative ecological risk and smartphone addiction in Chinese adolescents: Gratitude and impulsivity as moderators

The study used the Ecological Systems Theory as a framework to test the short-term longitudinal association between cumulative ecological risk and smartphone addiction, and the Ecological Risk/Protective Theory as a framework to test gratitude as a protective factor, and impulsivity as a risk factor, in this association. We used a two-wave longitudinal design with an interval of six months. Participants were 452 adolescents (46.7% girls, aged 12–16 years) from two middle schools in Changsha, China who completed questionnaires in their classrooms at both time points. The results of regression-based analyses indicated that cumulative ecological risk positively predicted later smartphone addiction, and this longitudinal relationship was stronger among adolescents with high gratitude and high impulsivity. The results provide a theoretical and empirical basis for the development of prevention strategies and intervention policies to reduce the likelihood of smartphone addiction in adolescents.