Psychological and behavioral pathways linking childhood neglect to physical activity among adolescents: the chain mediating role of loneliness and short-video addiction

Abstract

Background and Objective: Although childhood neglect (CN) has been associated with adverse psychological and behavioral outcomes, less is known about whether loneliness and short-video addiction (SVA) jointly account for its association with physical activity (PA) among adolescents. This study examined the indirect associations of loneliness and SVA in the CN–PA relationship among Chinese adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 741 adolescents recruited through convenience-based recruitment followed by classroom-level cluster sampling from four regions of China (North China, Central China, Northwest China, and Southwest China). Loneliness and PA were assessed using single-item measures, whereas CN and SVA were assessed using multi-item self-report scales. Pearson correlations and PROCESS Model 6 with 5,000 bootstrap samples were used. Results: CN was negatively associated with PA (β = -0.214, p < 0.001) and positively associated with loneliness (β = 0.191, p < 0.001) and SVA (β = 0.082, p < 0.05). The specific indirect association through loneliness alone was not significant (-0.005, 95% CI [-0.020, 0.009]), whereas the specific indirect association through SVA was significant (-0.008, 95% CI [-0.021, -0.000]). The chain indirect association through loneliness and SVA was also significant (-0.002, 95% CI [-0.005, −0.000]). Conclusion: Loneliness did not independently mediate the CN–PA association, whereas SVA showed a significant specific indirect association and contributed, together with loneliness, to a significant sequential indirect association. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as statistical associations rather than causal mechanisms.