{
  "abstract": "Physical exercise may be associated with less problematic digital use, but the evidence is heterogeneous, and the interpersonal and self-regulatory correlates of this association remain uncertain. We examined the observed-score relationships among exercise, loneliness, self-control, and mobile social media dependence in 205 non-physical-education undergraduates in Jiangxi, China. Item-level questionnaire data were rescored using published keys. Exercise was associated with lower dependence (r = -0.823), lower loneliness (r = -0.799), and higher self-control (r = 0.723; all p < 0.001). However, loneliness and dependence remained extremely highly correlated, and a targeted diagnostic CFA estimated a boundary-level latent correlation of approximately 0.999, indicating inadequate discriminant validity. An exploratory PROCESS-equivalent Model 15 showed significant exercise × self-control (B = 0.0133, p < 0.001) and loneliness × self-control (B = 1.0042, p < 0.001) interactions; the conditional product-of-coefficients index was -0.0177, 95% bootstrap CI [-0.0244, -0.0113]. HC3 and influential-case sensitivity analyses preserved the interaction pattern. The data therefore support a robust observed-score association between greater exercise and lower dependence, but they do not establish a distinct loneliness-mediated mechanism or causal ordering. These findings highlight the importance of integrating behavioral, interpersonal, and self-regulatory perspectives while prioritizing construct differentiation and measurement validity in research on university students' digital well-being.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China.",
    "School of Humanities, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xiaojin Wang",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-7105-3470"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xiaoyu Wu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jin Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Fenghua Zhang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dx6kesy5sgw4c.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/bs16101908",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13701209",
  "id": "dx6kesy5sgw4c",
  "issns": [
    "2076-328X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42938625",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3312|Impact of Technology on Adolescents"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222231007",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13701209?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13701209",
  "pmid": "42938625",
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dx6kesy5sgw4c.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:12Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42938625",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42938625"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [],
  "title": "Physical Exercise and Mobile Social Media Dependence Among University Students: Exploratory Conditional-Process Patterns Involving Loneliness and Self-Control.",
  "title_text": "Physical Exercise and Mobile Social Media Dependence Among University Students: Exploratory Conditional-Process Patterns Involving Loneliness and Self-Control.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:12Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dx6kesy5sgw4c",
  "venue": "Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)",
  "versions": []
}