Self-Compassion as a Moderator Between Anxiety and Depressive Symptomatology and Problematic Use of the Internet and Smartphones

Abstract

Self-compassion is a psychological construct associated with enhanced well-being, which, to a lesser extent, has been examined in relation to addictive behaviors. The present study aims to: (1) examine gender differences in self-compassion, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and problematic Internet and smartphone use; (2) analyze the relationships among these variables; and (3) determine whether self-compassion moderates the association between anxiety and depressive symptomatology and problematic Internet and smartphone use. The sample consisted of 953 Spanish secondary school students aged 13 to 18 years (M = 15.42, SD = 1.17; 55.0% females). Significant gender differences were found in all study variables except problematic Internet use, with females reporting higher levels of anxiety, depression, and problematic smartphone use, and males scoring higher in self-compassion. Moderation analyses revealed that depression and anxiety were positively associated with both problematic Internet smartphone use, while self-compassion showed negative associations with both outcomes. Significant interactions were observed, with stronger positive associations between anxiety and depression and both problematic Internet and smartphone use at higher levels of self-compassion. Our results underscore that association between depressive and anxiety symptoms and problematic Internet and smartphone use in adolescents varied across levels of self-compassion, supporting its consideration in interventions targeting behavioral addictions.