Mediation of social support in the relationship between mobile phone dependence and childhood physical maltreatment among left-behind and returned migrant middle school students: A multi-group structural equation modeling

Mobile phone dependence (MPD) is a form of addictive behavior that poses a threat to the physical and mental health of adolescents. MPD is closely linked to individual characteristics, as well as family and social environments. However, existing literature has yet to thoroughly investigate the relationship between MPD and childhood physical maltreatment in middle school students, including its mediating and moderating mechanism. This study involved 16,216 adolescents and examined the relationship between MPD and childhood physical maltreatment in middle school students while exploring the mediating mechanism of social support. To examine the moderating effect of parental migration status, a multi-group structural equation model (SEM) was employed to investigate potential group differences in MPD, childhood physical maltreatment, and social support among three groups: left-behind middle school students (LBS), returned migrant middle school students (RMS), and middle school students whose parents do not immigrate (NMS). The findings of this study suggest that childhood physical maltreatment positively influences MPD, with social support serving as a mediator in this pathway. We found that the mechanisms affecting the onset of MPD vary across RMS, LBS and NMS. It is recommended that educators or managers not only reduce physical maltreatment and increase social support channels but also identify key groups and develop targeted policies for different social subjects.