Compensating for uncontrollability: The association between sense of control and problematic mobile phone use

Problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) has been revealed to be shaped by multiple factors. Nevertheless, limited studies have focused on sense of control, an intrinsic human motive, and investigated its impact on PMPU and the mechanisms of this influence. On the grounds of the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model, the present study tested experiential avoidance as a possible mediator and self-concept clarity as a possible moderator in the connection linking sense of control and PMPU. Undergraduate students (N = 1,093; Mage = 18.95, SD = 1.10; 53.2% women) recruited through convenience sampling completed questionnaires in their classrooms. The mediation analysis revealed a significant mediating effect of experiential avoidance on the negative link between sense of control and PMPU. The moderated mediation analysis demonstrated a significant moderating effect of self-concept clarity, which attenuated both the direct path linking sense of control and PMPU and the mediating path through experiential avoidance. The findings contribute to elucidating whether, how, and under what conditions sense of control is connected with PMPU, and offer insights for developing practical intervention strategies to address PMPU.