Exploring the Antecedent: A Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis of the Association between Rumination and Mobile Phone Addiction

This study examined the longitudinal relationship between rumination and mobile phone addiction (MPA) among Chinese college students, focusing on two types of rumination: intrusive and deliberate. A three-wave longitudinal design was employed, involving 984 students (30% male, 70% female), with data collected at three time points: November 2023 (T1), March 2024 (T2), and July 2024 (T3). Using a Cross-Lagged Panel Network (CLPN) model, the study explored the bidirectional and dynamic associations between rumination and MPA over time. Results revealed that intrusive rumination significantly and positively predicted MPA longitudinally, with evidence of a negative cumulative effect. Additionally, MPA was found to influence deliberate rumination over time, though the strength of this path was weaker than that from intrusive rumination to MPA. These findings highlight the distinct roles of intrusive and deliberate rumination in the development and maintenance of MPA. Specifically, intrusive rumination emerged as a more potent risk factor contributing to sustained problematic mobile phone use, while MPA may reinforce deliberate rumination. Overall, the study offers novel insights into the temporal interplay between rumination and MPA, emphasizing the need to target intrusive rumination in interventions aimed at reducing mobile phone addiction among college students.