Exploring the relationship between boredom proneness and short-form videos addiction among Chinese college students through a moderated mediation model

Abstract

Abstract Previous studies have shown positive associations between boredom proneness and mobile phone addiction. However, the association between boredom proneness and short-form video addiction (SFVA), as well as the intermediate psychological mechanisms, remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between boredom proneness and subsequent SFVA among Chinese college students and to examine the mediating role of fear of missing out and the moderating role of intolerance of uncertainty. A total of 458 college students (62.2% male; M age = 19.17) from a university in central China participated in a two-wave time-lagged study with six months intervals. Results showed that boredom proneness was positively associated with SFVA six months later. Fear of missing out mediated this association, and intolerance of uncertainty moderated the association between boredom proneness and fear of missing out. The results further showed that the indirect effect of boredom proneness on SFVA via fear of missing out was more salient when there was a higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty. Interventions targeting boredom proneness and intolerance of uncertainty may be important in addressing SFVA in college populations.