The Relationship among Social Stigma, Neglect, Psychological Characteristics and Smart-phone Addiction in Out-of-school Adolescents: The Multi-group Moderating Effect of Gender

Abstract

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationship among social stigma, neglect, psychological characteristics and smart-phone addiction in out-of-school adolescents and to determine the moderating effect of gender on the relationship among variables. Methods 454 out-of-school adolescents panel data from NYPI s School Drop-Out Adolescents Panel Study in 2014 utilized a structural equation model to examine the relationship. Results The findings of the study were as follows: First, social stigma was found to have exercised a negative influence on self-esteem and ego-resiliency while it was found to have exercised a positive influence on depression. In addition, neglect showed a negative influence on self-esteem and the self-esteem showed a negative influence on depression but a positive influence on thinking to future. Ego-resiliency and depression were also found to have exercised as predictor of smart-phone addiction. Second, self-esteem, ego-resiliency and depression showed both a simple and a sequential dual mediating effect on the relationship between social stigma and smart-phone addiction. Self-esteem and depression were also double-mediated sequentially in the relationship between neglect and smart-phone addiction. Third, the results of the latent means analysis by gender were observed that the mean value of female students was significantly higher than male students in depression and smart-phone addiction. Conclusions Thus, it suggests in-depth future studies with regard to lower social stigma and neglect to raise adaptive psychological characteristics in oder to reducing smart-phone addiction in out-of-school adolescents.