Mobile Phone Addiction and Achievement Motivation in Chinese Medical Students: The Chain Mediating Effect of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

Haoge Bai¹Yiju Wang²Yan Jin¹Zongyao Zhang¹Juan Wang¹Yang Meng³Hao Sun^1*Hui Xie^1*

• ¹Jining Medical University Clinical Medical College, Jining, China
• ²The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University National Clinical Research Center for Mental and Mental Disorders, Changsha, China
• ³Jining Medical University, Jining, China

Mobile phone addiction is a growing concern, especially among high-pressure groups like medical students who are highly susceptible to over-reliance on mobile phones. This addiction is closely linked to lower levels of achievement motivation. The current study examined medical students' achievement motivation (Achievement Motivation Scale) and its associations with anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and mobile-phone addiction (Mobile Phone Addiction Index). Data were collected from 2,977 Chinese medical students combinations through single-site cluster sampling of undergraduate classes (years 1-3) at a large medical university in Shandong Province, yielding 2,679 valid questionnaires. The results showed that 26.58% of students were addicted to mobile phones, with an average addiction score of 42.97 ± 12.12. Achievement motivation scores averaged 1.87 ± 0.35, with 50.06% of students showing strong motivation, 4.14% moderate, and 45.80% weak. Regression analysis indicated that liking one's major, willingness to choose it again, and scores on the Patient health questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, and Mobile Phone Addiction Index significantly impacted achievement motivation. Anxiety and depression were found to mediate the relationship between mobile phone addiction and achievement motivation. These findings highlight the need for universities to address mobile phone addiction, intervene in anxiety and depression, and enhance medical students' achievement motivation through targeted measures.