Cross-lagged analysis of mobile phone addiction, bedtime procrastination, and exercise self-efficacy among university students

Abstract

Purpose

Exercise self-efficacy refers to an individual's cognitive ability to believe that they can accomplish the goals and tasks of physical activity, which is particularly important for developing physical and mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between mobile phone addiction, bedtime procrastination, and exercise self-efficacy among college students, and to provide intervention directions and theoretical insights for developing college students' physical and mental health.

Methods

Using the College Students' Mobile Phone Addiction Scale, the Bedtime Procrastination Scale, and the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale, a longitudinal follow-up survey of 407 college students in provinces X and Y was conducted at 3-month intervals in May 2024 (T1) and August 2024 (T2) to analyze the mechanism of the interaction between the College Students’ Mobile Phone Addiction Scale, the Bedtime Procrastination Scale and the exercise self-efficacy using cross-lagging.

Results

There was no significant difference between mobile phone addiction, bedtime procrastination, and exercise self-efficacy among college students in terms of gender, academic year, and age. It was found that T1 mobile phone addiction positively predicted T2 bedtime procrastination (β = 0.15, p < 0.05), while T1 bedtime procrastination positively predicted T2 mobile phone addiction (β = 0.15, p < 0.001), indicating that mobile phone addiction and bedtime procrastination predicted each other temporally. In addition, T1 bedtime procrastination negatively predicted T2 exercise self-efficacy (β = −0.10, p < 0.05) and T1 mobile phone addiction negatively predicted T2 exercise self-efficacy (β = −0.12, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

There was a longitudinal predictive relationship between cell phone addiction, bedtime procrastination, and exercise self-efficacy; cell phone addiction and bedtime procrastination predicted each other; bedtime procrastination predicted exercise self-efficacy; and cell phone addiction predicted exercise self-efficacy.