Social Media Use Intensity and Social Media Use Problems in Relation to Interpersonal Adaptation During the Transition to College: An Intensive Longitudinal Study.

During the college transition, many students undergo rapid changes in the frequency and patterns of social media use, while also facing sudden challenges in adapting to the new interpersonal environment. However, it remains unclear how social media use intensity and social media use problems are tem...

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Published in:Journal of Youth & Adolescence Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 106 - 119
Main Authors: Xiong, Sicheng, Xu, Yi, Xiong, Ge, Zhang, Bin
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Jan2026
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jan2026
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        atl: Social Media Use Intensity and Social Media Use Problems in Relation to Interpersonal Adaptation During the Transition to College: An Intensive Longitudinal Study.
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        au:
          Xiong, Sicheng
          Xu, Yi
          Xiong, Ge
          Zhang, Bin
        affil:
          https://ror.org/05htk5m33 Department of Psychology, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
          https://ror.org/03e207173 Department of Rehabilitation, Hunan Children's Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China
      su:
        China
        Social media
        Compulsive behavior
        Psychological adaptation
        Teenagers' conduct of life
        Interpersonal relations
        Psychology of college students
        Social comparison
        Statistical correlation
        Research funding
        Statistical sampling
        Structural equation modeling
        Descriptive statistics
        Chi-squared test
        Longitudinal method
        Transitional programs (Education)
        Cluster sampling
        Intraclass correlation
        Research
        Data analysis software
        Factor analysis
      sug:
        subj:
          Social media
          Compulsive behavior
          Psychological adaptation
          Teenagers' conduct of life
          Interpersonal relations
          Psychology of college students
          Social comparison
          China
          Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling
          Statistical correlation
          Research funding
          Statistical sampling
          Structural equation modeling
          Descriptive statistics
          Chi-squared test
          Longitudinal method
          Transitional programs (Education)
          Cluster sampling
          Intraclass correlation
          Research
          Data analysis software
          Factor analysis
      keyword:
        Intensive longitudinal study
        Interpersonal adaptation
        Social media use intensity
        Social media use problems
        Upward social comparison
        Intensive longitudinal study
        Interpersonal adaptation
        Social media use intensity
        Social media use problems
        Upward social comparison
      ab: During the college transition, many students undergo rapid changes in the frequency and patterns of social media use, while also facing sudden challenges in adapting to the new interpersonal environment. However, it remains unclear how social media use intensity and social media use problems are temporally related to interpersonal adaptation during this important stage of development. This study conducted a 30-day intensive longitudinal design to explore the fine-grained temporal relationships between social media use intensity, social media use problems, and interpersonal adaptation, as well as the intensive mediating role of upward social comparison during the first month of the college transition. The sample comprised 317 first-year college students in China (71.8% female; M = 18.16 years, SD = 0.65). Participants completed daily reports over a 30-day intensive tracking period, with data collected each evening between 8:30 and 9:00 PM. Multilevel residual dynamic structural equation modeling revealed that both social media use intensity and social media use problems on the previous day significantly, negatively predicted interpersonal adaptation on the following day during the college transition. Additionally, upward social comparison played an intensive mediating role in the temporal relationship between social media use problems and interpersonal adaptation. These findings offer important insights into how social media use at a fine-grained temporal level influences interpersonal adaptation during the college transition, informing strategies to support first-year students' adjustment.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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