From boredom to problematic AI chatbot use: a three-wave half-longitudinal mediation study of loneliness and dual-system self-control.

IF 1.6 4区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Australian Journal of Psychology Pub Date : 2026-09-27 eCollection Date: 2026-01-01 DOI:10.1080/00049530.2026.2737094

Jiahui Yuan, Kai Zhou, Chen Zhang

{"title":"From boredom to problematic AI chatbot use: a three-wave half-longitudinal mediation study of loneliness and dual-system self-control.","authors":"Jiahui Yuan, Kai Zhou, Chen Zhang","doi":"10.1080/00049530.2026.2737094","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Background: Problematic use of AI chatbots (PUAIC) is an emerging concern. Drawing on the I-PACE model and the dual-system model of self-control, this study examined the mediating roles of loneliness, the control system, and the impulsive system.Methods: A three-wave half-longitudinal mediation design was used with 551 Chinese college students at baseline. Boredom proneness was assessed at Time 1, loneliness and the control and impulsive systems at Time 2, and PUAIC at Time 3. Missing data were handled using 20 multiply imputed datasets, and PROCESS Model 81 was estimated with sex and grade level as covariates.Results: Pooled analyses showed that boredom proneness was associated with loneliness (β = .57), the impulsive system (β = .31), the control system (β = -.38), and PUAIC directly (β = .25; all p < .001). Significant indirect effects occurred through loneliness (.073), the impulsive system (.077), and the serial loneliness-impulsive-system pathway (.038).Conclusion: The findings suggest that boredom proneness may be associated with later PUAIC directly and indirectly through loneliness and impulsive tendencies. These associations may inform the development of prevention strategies for PUAIC that address loneliness and impulsive tendencies among college students.","PeriodicalId":8871,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Psychology","volume":"78 1","pages":"2737094"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2026-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13618079/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Australian Journal of Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2026.2737094","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Problematic use of AI chatbots (PUAIC) is an emerging concern. Drawing on the I-PACE model and the dual-system model of self-control, this study examined the mediating roles of loneliness, the control system, and the impulsive system.

Methods: A three-wave half-longitudinal mediation design was used with 551 Chinese college students at baseline. Boredom proneness was assessed at Time 1, loneliness and the control and impulsive systems at Time 2, and PUAIC at Time 3. Missing data were handled using 20 multiply imputed datasets, and PROCESS Model 81 was estimated with sex and grade level as covariates.

Results: Pooled analyses showed that boredom proneness was associated with loneliness (β = .57), the impulsive system (β = .31), the control system (β = -.38), and PUAIC directly (β = .25; all p < .001). Significant indirect effects occurred through loneliness (.073), the impulsive system (.077), and the serial loneliness-impulsive-system pathway (.038).

Conclusion: The findings suggest that boredom proneness may be associated with later PUAIC directly and indirectly through loneliness and impulsive tendencies. These associations may inform the development of prevention strategies for PUAIC that address loneliness and impulsive tendencies among college students.

查看原文本刊更多论文

从无聊到有问题的AI聊天机器人使用：孤独和双系统自我控制的三波半纵向中介研究。

背景：人工智能聊天机器人（PUAIC）的使用问题是一个新兴的问题。本研究利用I-PACE模型和自我控制双系统模型，考察了孤独、控制系统和冲动系统的中介作用。方法：采用三波半纵向中介设计，以551名中国大学生为基线。在时间1时评估无聊倾向，在时间2时评估孤独、控制和冲动系统，在时间3时评估PUAIC。缺失数据使用20个多重输入数据集处理，PROCESS模型81以性别和年级水平作为协变量进行估计。结果：综合分析显示，无聊倾向与孤独感（β = 0.57）、冲动系统（β = 0.31）、控制系统（β = - 0.38）和PUAIC直接相关（β = 0.25，均p < 0.001）。孤独感产生了显著的间接影响。073)，脉冲系统(。077)和系列孤独-冲动-系统途径（0.038）。结论：无聊倾向可能通过孤独感和冲动倾向直接或间接地与后期PUAIC相关。这些关联可以为PUAIC预防策略的发展提供信息，以解决大学生的孤独和冲动倾向。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Australian Journal of Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

5.50

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Australian Journal of Psychology is the premier scientific journal of the Australian Psychological Society. It covers the entire spectrum of psychological research and receives articles on all topics within the broad scope of the discipline. The journal publishes high quality peer-reviewed articles with reviewers and associate editors providing detailed assistance to authors to reach publication. The journal publishes reports of experimental and survey studies, including reports of qualitative investigations, on pure and applied topics in the field of psychology. Articles on clinical psychology or on the professional concerns of applied psychology should be submitted to our sister journals, Australian Psychologist or Clinical Psychologist. The journal publishes occasional reviews of specific topics, theoretical pieces and commentaries on methodological issues. There are also solicited book reviews and comments Annual special issues devoted to a single topic, and guest edited by a specialist editor, are published. The journal regards itself as international in vision and will accept submissions from psychologists in all countries.