Longitudinal bidirectional relations between problematic smartphone use and academic burnout among adolescents: The mediating role of executive dysfunction.

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been recognized as a significant risk factor for academic burnout. Nevertheless, the longitudinal dynamic processes and underlying psychological mechanisms linking these two constructs remain insufficiently underexplored. Drawing on the Resource Depletion Theory and the Compensatory Internet Use Theory, the present three-wave longitudinal study investigated the mediating role of executive dysfunction in the reciprocal relationship between PSU and academic burnout among Chinese adolescents. A total of 860 adolescents (48.0% male; baseline Mage = 12.36, SD = 0.50) were followed at 6-month lags, with the overall study duration spanning 12 months. Results from cross-lagged panel modeling revealed that: (a) there were significant bidirectional associations between PSU and executive dysfunction (βs ranged from 0.08 to 0.18, ps < 0.01); (b) significant bidirectional relations also existed between executive dysfunction and academic burnout (βs ranged from 0.06 to 0.08, ps < 0.01); (c) executive dysfunction mediated the longitudinal pathway from PSU to academic burnout (indirect effect = 0.005, 95%CI [0.001, 0.011]), and the reverse pathway from academic burnout to PSU (indirect effect = 0.015, 95%CI [0.005, 0.027]). These findings reveal significant reciprocal associations between PSU and academic burnout, and underscore that executive function serves as a target for preventing and intervening of the two issues among adolescents.