Volitional control and cell phone addiction: development of a pathway mode

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between individual volitional control and mobile phone addiction and the potentially mediating roles of non-adaptive cognitive-emotional regulation strategies and the need for uniqueness in the relationship. METHODS: Participants (N = 1,932) completed an online questionnaire including demographic questions, the Volitional Control Scale, the Mobile Phone Addiction Scale, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Uniqueness Requirement Scale. RESULTS: Correlation analyses showed that there were significant negative correlations between mobile phone addiction, non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, the need for uniqueness and volitional control, and positive correlations between non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, the need for uniqueness, and mobile phone addiction. Non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and the need for uniqueness mediated the relationship between volitional control and mobile phone addiction. CONCLUSION: Individuals' volitional control can both directly and negatively predict mobile phone addiction, and indirectly influence mobile phone addiction through the multiple mediating effects of non-adaptive cognitive-emotional regulation strategies and the need for uniqueness. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: N/A.