Social networking sites addiction and adolescent depression: A moderated mediation model of rumination and self-esteem

Recent research has shown that social networking sites (SNS) use is a risk factor for depression, but little research has studied the relation between SNS addiction and depression, and less is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. The present study examined whether rumination mediated the relation between SNS addiction and depression, and whether the mediating effect was moderated by self-esteem. Our theoretical model was tested using concurrent data collected from 365 Chinese adolescents. The participants completed the measures of SNS addiction, depression, rumination, and self-esteem. The results indicated that SNS addiction was positively associated with depression. Mediation analysis indicated that rumination mediated the relation between SNS addiction and depression. Moderated mediated analysis further revealed that the path between rumination and depression was stronger for individuals with lower self-esteem than individuals with higher self-esteem. Limitations and implications of this study were discussed.