Since information technology is developing so quickly, we are using mobile phones more and more in our daily lives.In particular, as Internet technology has advanced, smartphones have become an essential component of peoples' lives[1]. The convenience of smart phones meets our various needs in daily life, such as traffic navigation, social interaction, online shopping and entertainment and leisure. As of June 2022, China had 1.051 billion Internet users, of which 1.047 billion were mobile users, making up 99.6% of all Internet users, according to the 50th Statistical Report on the Development of the Internet in China [2]. But as time goes by, overuse of smart phones can lead people to develop addiction — MPA. MPA, often referred to as problematic mobile phone use and mobile phone dependence, is an addictive behavior that impairs daily functioning and is unable to be controlled when using a phone[3]. Billieux points out that individuals with a mobile phone addiction struggle to control their usage, resulting in a range of social, behavioral, and emotional problems in daily life[4]. Research has indicated that MPA can result in significant emotional, mental, and physical issues, which means that a person's physical and mental health are greatly impacted by MPA, and it also has an impact on our interactions with others and at work[5]. Studies have also pointed out that MPA is closely related to various problems, such as headache, visual impairment, lack of sleep and even depression[6–8]. Because they lack the mental power and self-control to resist, college students are highly dependent on their mobile phones,compared with other groups[9–10]. According to research findings, the current rate of MPA among Chinese college students has reached 23% and is still growing[8]. Therefore, it is necessary to explore college students' MPA and its influence.
Literature and Hypothesis
Sleep Quality and Mobile Phone Addiction
A key component of helping college students do better academically is their sleep quality[11], that is, getting enough sleep is crucial to ensuring that college students' academic performance improves. Many studies have shown that good sleep is an important physiological and psychological guarantee for human survival, which affects our health in many aspects, such as promoting metabolism, improving cognitive ability, eliminating brain fatigue and maintaining mood[12]. According to a Becker et al. study, 64% of students met the threshold for sleep disorders, and more than one-third of college students slept less than 7 hours on average at night[13]. Studies have shown that students with poor SQ report significantly more psychological problems, that is, the overall SQ shows a linear downward trend[14]. Unfortunately, as MPA intensifies, college students' SQ problems are more serious. Poor SQ is also one of the multiple effects of MPA, in other words, the intensification of MPA will inevitably lead to the reduction of SQ[3]. Studies at home and abroad have shown that teenagers' use of mobile phones for a long time or long time before going to bed will make sleep problems worse[15–16]. Surobhi et al. found through a survey of 224 medical students that another significant factor contributing to college students' declining physical function and low SQ was their excessive usage of mobile phones[17]. In summary, we propose the hypothesis that mobile phone addiction among college students positively predicts their sleep quality(H1).
Therefore, from the standpoint of MPA to explore the factors affecting the SQ of college students, in-depth analysis of the ways and conditions of influence, on this basis to protect and promote the SQ of college students to provide empirical support and practical inspiration, may have more obvious prevention and intervention effects. On the other hand,more attention is being paid to the direct correlation between MPA and SQ in the current study[18], and the mediating or moderating effect between MPA and SQ (how MPA affects SQ). Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate how MPA affects SQ in college students as well as its mechanism.To more thoroughly examine the connection between MPA and SQ, the mediating mechanism between the two should be considered. This study hypothesizes that rumination and FOMO could be its mediating variables based on literature research.
Rumination as A Mediator
Rumination is the cognitive process of continually reflecting on the experiences one has had[19]. The cognitive theory of insomnia suggests that rumination (repetitive, nonconstructive thinking about past events) leads to increased arousal before bed, thereby reducing SQ[20]. At the same time, people who ruminate more have poorer SQ than those who ruminate less[21]. It is reasonable to show how MPA affects rumination, even if few studies have examined the direct association between MPA and rumination. For example, studies have also proved that MPA in college students will also produce rumination. The reason is that when mobile phone addicts frequently participate in social networks, they will experience social comparison and thus induce or intensify rumination thinking [22–23]. Previous studies have suggested that adolescents suffering from MPA are prone to academic procrastination and interpersonal problems, leading to rumination[24]. In a study involving 1,196 Chinese teenagers, Liu et al. discovered that rumination acted as an intermediate in the association between MPA and teenagers' SQ[18]. indicating that MPA may be a significant factor influencing low SQ. Rumination still had negative impacts and negatively predicted SQ, even after adjusting for anxiety and sadness, according to a long-term study[25]. This was especially true for high-trait ruminants. As per the cognitive theory of insomnia proposed by Harvey, individuals with high quality rumination tend to have unfavorable adjustment to cognitive activities, and are easy to trigger autonomous arousal and painful emotions. This is consistent with studies showing that rumination and poor SQ are associated with anxiety[26–27]. Therefore, Our hypothesis was that rumination acted as a moderator between college students' MPA and SQ(H2).
FOMO as A Mediator
FOMO refers to the unfavorable feelings such as unease and anxiety that occur when an individual thinks that he or she is missing out on beneficial things that others are doing or experiencing, and it has a strong dispersion[28]. The FOMO is essentially a negative state brought on by a person's need social communication, fear of being excluded from the group, and tendency to constantly check social media[29]. This negative emotion can damage personal behavior and physical and mental health, and is a common anxiety phenomenon among people, especially young people. Other studies have found that when people experience the FOMO, they will show a strong sense of unease. Thus,compared to women, men are more likely to use social media[30]. FOMO increases individual MPA and contributes significantly to social media addiction[31]. According to studies, those who experience a lot of negative emotions are more likely to experience a lot of FOMO and develop a smartphone addiction, and have poorer SQ[32]. According to the use and satisfaction theory, the FOMO originates from the lack of psychological needs, and social interaction can be established and maintained through smart phones[33]. Several researches have verified the existence of a direct or mediated correlation between FOMO and smartphone addiction[8]. Prior research has verified a positive correlation between FOMO and anxiety before going to bed, longer sleep latency and shorter sleep duration. It can also be said that FOMO will reduce the SQ of college students[13]. High sense of missing out individuals increased the likelihood of craving social media for information, extended bedtime, and decreased SQ. In conclusion, Our hypothesis is that FOMO acts as a moderator between college students' MPA and SQ(H2).
The Present Research
At present, investigating the mechanism of the relationship between college students' FOMO and rumination in MPA and SQ Still not be mentioned in the literature. In line with the I-PACE interaction model of Brand et al., MPA, as a susceptibility factor to the Internet, will produce cognitive and behavioral biases (rumination and FOMO) to specific stimuli[34]. There is a strong positive link between social media users' FOMO and rumination thinking, despite the fact that few studies have examined the relationship between rumination and FOMO[33]. Could FOMO also be affected by an individual's level of rumination?In conclusion, our study suggests that rumination and FOMO act as a chain of mediators between MPA and SQ based on the data shown above(H4). Assume the following for the model Fig. 1: