Chain-mediating effects of self-esteem and subjective well-being on the association between short-video addiction and social connection among older adults: A cross-sectional study.

Authors

Yuke Guo, Xueyang Zhou, Bingchang Meng, Hui Xu, Jiaxun Kang

Published in

Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.). Volume 73. Pages 104200. Aug 01, 2026. Epub Aug 01, 2026.

Abstract

Short-video addiction among older adults has a significant impact on their level of social connection. Both self-esteem and subjective well-being are closely related to short-video addiction and social connection; however, the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain unclear.
This study aimed to examine the relationship between short-video addiction and social connection among older adults and to verify the chain-mediating effects of self-esteem and subjective well-being.
A cross-sectional design was employed. Older adults from five cities in central China were recruited using a combination of online and offline approaches. Demographic characteristics, short-video addiction, social connection, self-esteem, and subjective well-being were assessed using a demographic questionnaire and four validated scales. A total of 254 valid questionnaires were collected.
Significant correlations were found among short-video addiction, social connection, self-esteem, and subjective well-being (all p < 0.01). Short-video addiction among older adults not only had a direct impact on social connections but also exerted an indirect influence on them through three mediating pathways: (a) the independent mediating effect of self-esteem (β = -0.032, standard error [SE] = 0.015, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.066 to -0.008); (b) the independent mediating effect of subjective well-being (β = -0.071, SE = 0.022, 95% CI: -0.116 to -0.030); and (c) the chain-mediating effect of self-esteem and subjective well-being (β = -0.024, SE = 0.008, 95% CI: -0.042 to -0.009).
This study elucidates the intrinsic relationship between short-video addiction and social connection among older adults. The findings suggest that enhancing self-esteem and subjective well-being may effectively reduce the tendency toward short-video addiction, thereby improving social connection and promoting active aging.

PMID:
42543043
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Aug 2026.

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