Psychological Capital, College Adaptation, and Internet Addiction: An Analysis Based on Moderated Mediation Model

Xiangyang Bi; Jun Jin

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.712964

Psychological Capital, College Adaptation, and Internet Addiction: An Analysis Based on Moderated Mediation Model

Front Psychiatry. 2021 Nov 24:12:712964. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.712964. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xiangyang Bi¹, Jun Jin²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sociology, School of Ethnology and Sociology, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China.
² Department of Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Using data from a baseline survey of college students, this study examined the possible mechanism by which psychological capital influences college students' internet addiction through the mediation effect of their individual college adaptability. The study constructed a parallel multiple mediation effect model to help understand the effect mechanisms among these factors. The results indicated that psychological capital had a triple effect on internet addiction: (1) Psychological capital had a direct effect of helping reduce college students' internet addiction; (2) emotional, learning, and interpersonal adaptation not only reduced internet addiction directly but also played mediating roles in the relationship between psychological capital and internet addiction; and (3) the mediation effects of emotional and interpersonal adaptation were moderated by psychological capital, leading to two different modes of mediation effects. As a whole, psychological capital imposes a quadratic effect on internet addiction. The campus policy implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords: emotional adaption; internet addiction; interpersonal adaptation; learning adaptation; moderated mediation model; psychological capital.