Sign Up Submit Enquiry

Procrastination as a Mediator Between Facebook Addiction and Mental Health

Home Procrastination as a Mediator Between Facebook Addiction and Mental Health

Related Articles

Contact us

Article Content

Abstract

The study aims to investigate how procrastination mediates the relationship between Facebook addiction and mental health among university students in Vietnam. Using data from 2476 university students in Vietnam collected through cross-sectional methods, we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the relationships. We found that Facebook addiction is positively associated with both procrastination and psychological distress, while negatively associated with life satisfaction. Procrastination was identified as a partial mediator between Facebook addiction and psychological distress, and between Facebook addiction and life satisfaction among university students. These results highlight the relationship between Facebook addiction, procrastination, and mental health among Facebook users who are university students in Vietnam. At the same time, the research results provide insights into measures to improve mental health among Facebook users who are university students in Vietnam.

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

  • Addiction
  • Behavioral Sciences and Psychology
  • Cyberpsychology
  • Internetpsychology
  • Media Psychology
  • Mental Health

Data Availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

References

  • Akin, A., & Akin, U. (2015). The mediating role of social safeness on the relationship between Facebook® use and life satisfaction. Psychological Reports, 117(2), 341–353.

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Ali, A. M., Hori, H., Kim, Y., & Kunugi, H. (2021). Predictors of nutritional status, depression, internet addiction, Facebook addiction, and tobacco smoking among women with eating disorders in Spain. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.735109

  • Andreassen, C. S., Torsheim, T., Brunborg, G. S., & Pallesen, S. (2012). Development of a Facebook addiction scale. Psychological Reports, 110(2), 501–517.

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Babiker, A., Almourad, M. B., Panourgia, C., Alshakhsi, S., Montag, C., & Ali, R. (2023). Need for affect, problematic social media use and the mediating role of fear of missing out in European and Arab samples. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 16, 5025–5039. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S435437

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Balkıs, M., & Duru, E. (2022). Irrational/Rational beliefs, procrastination, and life satisfaction: An empirical assessment of REBT models of psychological distress and psychological health model. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 40(3), 566–582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-021-00428-w

    Article Google Scholar

  • Belay, A. S., & Guangul, M. M. Wondwossen niguse asmare, & gebremeskel mesafint. (2021). Prevalence and associated factors of psychological distress among nurses in public hospitals, southwest, ethiopia: A cross-sectional study. Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences, 31(6). https://doi.org/10.4314/ejhs.v31i6.21

  • Bonfanti, R. C., Salerno, L., Brugnera, A., & Lo Coco, G. (2022). A longitudinal investigation on problematic Facebook use, psychological distress and well-being during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 21828. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26281-0

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Brailovskaia, J., Rohmann, E., Bierhoff, H. W., Margraf, J., & Köllner, V. (2019). Relationships between addictive Facebook use, depressiveness, insomnia, and positive mental health in an inpatient sample: A German longitudinal study. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(4), 703–713. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.63

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Bruggeman, H., Van Hiel, A., Van Hal, G., & Van Dongen, S. (2019). Does the use of digital media affect psychological well-being? An empirical test among children aged 9 to 12. Computers in Human Behavior, 101, 104–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.07.015

    Article Google Scholar

  • Çiftci, N., & Yıldız, M. (2023). The relationship between social media addiction, happiness, and life satisfaction in adults: Analysis with machine learning approach. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 21(5), 3500–3516. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01118-7

    Article Google Scholar

  • Cudo, A., Wojtasiński, M., Tużnik, P., Griffiths, M. D., & Zabielska-Mendyk, E. (2020). Problematic Facebook use and problematic video gaming as mediators of relationship between impulsivity and life satisfaction among female and male gamers. PLOS ONE, 15(8), e0237610. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237610

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and Self-Determination in human behavior. Plenum.

  • Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75.

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Elphinston, R. A., & Noller, P. (2011). Time to face it! facebook intrusion and the implications for romantic jealousy and relationship satisfaction. Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, 14(11), 631–635. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2010.0318

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Fernie, B. A., Bharucha, Z., Nikčević, A. V., Marino, C., & Spada, M. M. (2017). A metacognitive model of procrastination. Journal of Affective Disorders, 210, 196–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.12.042

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Figueroa-Quiñones, J., Valle-Salvatierra, W., & Teresa, C. H. N. (2024). Facebook addiction and sleep problems in Peruvian university students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Heliyon, 10(2), e24383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24383

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Foroughi, B., Iranmanesh, M., Nikbin, D., & Hyun, S. S. (2019). Are depression and social anxiety the missing link between Facebook addiction and life satisfaction? The interactive effect of needs and self-regulation. Telematics and Informatics, 43, 101247.

    Article Google Scholar

  • Gao, F., & Du, X. (2025). A meta-analysis of rumination and digital addiction. Personality and Individual Differences, 238, 113074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113074

    Article Google Scholar

  • Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., & Demetrovics, Z. (2014). Social Networking Addiction. In Behavioral Addictions (pp. 119–141). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-407724-9.00006-9

  • Gugliandolo, M. C., Costa, S., Kuss, D. J., Cuzzocrea, F., & Verrastro, V. (2020). Technological addiction in adolescents: The interplay between parenting and psychological basic needs. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 18(5), 1389–1402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00156-4

    Article Google Scholar

  • Gugushvili, N., Täht, K., Ruiter, R. A. C., & Verduyn, P. (2022). Facebook use intensity and depressive symptoms: A moderated mediation model of problematic Facebook use, age, neuroticism, and extraversion. BMC Psychology, 10(1), 279. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00990-7

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Hà, T. A., Tran, M. A. Q., Lin, C. Y., & Nguyen, Q. L. (2023). Facebook addiction and high school students’ sleep quality: The serial mediation of procrastination and life satisfaction and the moderation of Self-Compassion. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 184(6), 415–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2023.2219717

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Ho, T. T. Q. (2021a). Facebook addiction and depression: Loneliness as a moderator and poor sleep quality as a mediator. Telematics and Informatics, 61, 101617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101617

    Article Google Scholar

  • Ho, T. T. Q. (2021b). Problematic Facebook use and depression among Hue university students: The mediating role of stress and anxiety. UED Journal of Social Sciences Humanities and Education, 11(2), 61–66. https://doi.org/10.47393/jshe.v11i2.991

    Article Google Scholar

  • Ho, T. T. Q. (2024). Loneliness and depressive symptoms: Moderation and mediation model. American Journal of Health Education, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2023.2297284

  • Ho, T. T. Q., Tran, T. K. L., & Van Huynh, S. (2023). Smartphone addiction and psychological distress among Vietnamese college students: cyber-victimization as a mediator and academic stress as a moderator. Journal of Public Mental Health, 22(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-08-2022-0081

    Article Google Scholar

  • Ho, T. T. Q., Pham, T. T. H., Nguyen, H. T., & Nguyen, T. H. (2024). Does academic procrastination mediate the link between Facebook addiction and academic satisfaction? Psychology Society and Education, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.21071/psye.v16i2.16644

  • Hồ, T. T. Q. (2024). Nghiện Facebook ở sinh viên và mối quan hệ của nó với sự trì hoãn học tập – Nghiên cứu sinh viên Đại học Huế. Tạp Chí Tâm Lý Học, 2.

  • Huang, P. C., Latner, J. D., O’Brien, K. S., Chang, Y. L., Hung, C. H., Chen, J. S., Lee, K. H., & Lin, C. Y. (2023). Associations between social media addiction, psychological distress, and food addiction among Taiwanese university students. Journal of Eating Disorders, 11(1), 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-023-00769-0

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Israel, G. D. (2003). Determining Sample Size. https://www.tarleton.edu/academicassessment/documents/Samplesize.pdf

  • Joshanloo, M., & Jovanović, V. (2020). The relationship between gender and life satisfaction: Analysis across demographic groups and global regions. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 23(3), 331–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-019-00998-w

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Keresteš, G., & Štulhofer, A. (2020). Adolescents’ online social network use and life satisfaction: A latent growth curve modeling approach. Computers in Human Behavior, 104, 106187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106187

    Article Google Scholar

  • Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D. K., Normand, S. L. T., Walters, E. E., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(6), 959–976. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291702006074

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Kim, K. R., & Seo, E. H. (2015). The relationship between procrastination and academic performance: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 26–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.02.038

    Article Google Scholar

  • Koc, M., & Gulyagci, S. (2013). Facebook addiction among Turkish college students: The role of psychological health, demographic, and usage characteristics. Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, 16(4), 279–284. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0249

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Kurker, F., & Surucu, A. (2024). Social media addiction mediates the relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction and academic procrastination. Psychology in the Schools. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23190

    Article Google Scholar

  • Lee, S. L., Tam, C. L., & Thurairajasingam, S. (2023). Facebook depression with depressed users: The mediating effects of dependency and self-criticism on Facebook addiction and depressiveness. Computers in Human Behavior, 139, 107549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107549

    Article Google Scholar

  • Lim, S., & Shim, H. (2016). Who multitasks on smartphones?? smartphones? multitaskers’ motivations and personality traits. Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, 19(3), 223–227. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0225

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Malik, L., Shahnawaz, M. G., Rehman, U., Pragyendu, Uniyal, R., & Griffiths, M. D. (2023). Mediating roles of fear of missing out and boredom proneness on psychological distress and social media addiction among Indian adolescents. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 9(2), 224–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00323-4

    Article Google Scholar

  • Maria-Ioanna, A., & Patra, V. (2022). The role of psychological distress as a potential route through which procrastination May confer risk for reduced life satisfaction. Current Psychology, 41(5), 2860–2867. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00739-8

    Article Google Scholar

  • Marino, C., Vieno, A., Moss, A. C., Caselli, G., Nikčević, A. V., & Spada, M. M. (2016). Personality, motives and metacognitions as predictors of problematic Facebook use in university students. Personality and Individual Differences, 101, 70–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.053

    Article Google Scholar

  • Marino, C., Gini, G., Vieno, A., & Spada, M. M. (2018). The associations between problematic Facebook use, psychological distress and well-being among adolescents and young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 226, 274–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.10.007

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Marttila, E., Koivula, A., & Räsänen, P. (2021). Does excessive social media use decrease subjective well-being? A longitudinal analysis of the relationship between problematic use, loneliness and life satisfaction. Telematics and Informatics, 59, 101556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101556

    Article Google Scholar

  • Massar, B., Ali, A., & Banerjee, I. (2020). Prevalence of Facebook addiction and its association with personality traits and psychological distress- a study from North East part of India. The International Journal of Indian Psychȯlogy, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.25215/0803.078

  • Mercy Idowu, O., Gloria Adaramola, O., Samson Aderounmu, B., Delight Olugbamigbe, I., Ezekiel Dada, O., Christopher Osifeso, A., Ogunnubi, P., O., & Odukoya, O., O (2022). A gender comparison of psychological distress among medical students in Nigeria during the coronavirus pandemic: A cross-sectional survey. African Health Sciences, 22(1), 541–550. https://doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v22i1.63

    Article Google Scholar

  • Przepiorka, A., & Blachnio, A. (2016). Time perspective in internet and Facebook addiction. Computers in Human Behavior, 60, 13–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.045

    Article Google Scholar

  • Przepiorka, A., Błachnio, A., & Díaz-Morales, J. F. (2016). Problematic Facebook use and procrastination. Computers in Human Behavior, 65, 59–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.022

    Article Google Scholar

  • Przepiorka, A., Blachnio, A., & Cudo, A. (2023). Procrastination and problematic new media use: The mediating role of future anxiety. Current Psychology, 42(7), 5169–5177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01773-w

    Article Google Scholar

  • Ripon, R. K., Zubayer, A., Rahman, A., Khan, Q. M., Rahaman, A. H., Hasan, A., Bhuiyan, M. T., Khan, M. R. A. M., Chowdhury, M. K. A., M. A. U., & Hossain, M. Z. (2022). Factors associated with Facebook addiction among university students amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from an online cross-sectional survey. PLOS ONE, 17(8), e0272905. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272905

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Roberts, J. A., & David, M. E. (2020). The social media party: Fear of missing out (FoMO), social media intensity, connection, and Well-Being. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 36(4), 386–392. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2019.1646517

    Article Google Scholar

  • Rogowska, A. M., & Cincio, A. (2024). Procrastination mediates the relationship between problematic TikTok use and depression among young adults. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(5), 1247. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13051247

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Rozental, A., & Carlbring, P. (2014). Understanding and treating procrastination: A review of a common Self-Regulatory failure. Psychology, 05(13), 1488–1502. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2014.513160

    Article Google Scholar

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2019). Brick by Brick: The Origins, Development, and Future of Self-Determination Theory (pp. 111–156). https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.adms.2019.01.001

  • Sarker, M. S., Imtiaz, A., Haque, S., & Mahmud, K. T. (2023). The link between Facebook addiction and depression among university students: Evidence from a lower-middle income country. Health Science Reports, 6(12). https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1755

  • Satici, S. A. (2019a). Facebook addiction and subjective Well-Being: A study of the mediating role of shyness and loneliness. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 17(1), 41–55.

    Article Google Scholar

  • Satici, S. A. (2019b). Facebook addiction and subjective Well-Being: A study of the mediating role of shyness and loneliness. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 17(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9862-8

    Article Google Scholar

  • Sayili, U., Pirdal, B. Z., Kara, B., Acar, N., Camcioglu, E., Yilmaz, E., Can, G., & Erginoz, E. (2023). Internet addiction and social media addiction in medical faculty students: Prevalence, related factors, and association with life satisfaction. Journal of Community Health, 48(2), 189–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-022-01153-w

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Shakir, M., Lodhi, I. S., & Zafar, M. (2017). Prevalence of Facebook addiction among gender variation of university students: A comparative analysis. Journal of Gender and Social Issues, 16(1), 1–7.

    Google Scholar

  • Sherman, L. E., Payton, A. A., Hernandez, L. M., Greenfield, P. M., & Dapretto, M. (2016). The power of the like in adolescence. Psychological Science, 27(7), 1027–1035. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616645673

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Sherman, L. E., Hernandez, L. M., Greenfield, P. M., & Dapretto, M. (2018). What the brain ‘likes’: Neural correlates of providing feedback on social media. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 13(7), 699–707. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsy051

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Stieger, S. (2019). Facebook usage and life satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02711

  • Sun, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2021). A review of theories and models applied in studies of social media addiction and implications for future research. Addictive Behaviors, 114, 106699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106699

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Topino, E., Gori, A., Jimeno, M. V., Ortega, B., & Cacioppo, M. (2023). The relationship between social media addiction, fear of missing out and family functioning: A structural equation mediation model. BMC Psychology, 11(1), 383. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01409-7

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Tras, Z., & Oztemel, K. (2019). Examining the relationships between Facebook intensity, fear of missing out, and smartphone addiction. Addicta: the Turkish Journal on Addictions, 6(1), 91–113.

    Google Scholar

  • Tullett-Prado, D., Doley, J. R., Zarate, D., Gomez, R., & Stavropoulos, V. (2023). Conceptualising social media addiction: A longitudinal network analysis of social media addiction symptoms and their relationships with psychological distress in A community sample of adults. Bmc Psychiatry, 23(1), 509. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04985-5

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Uram, P., & Skalski, S. (2022). Still logged in? The link between Facebook addiction, fomo, Self-Esteem, life satisfaction and loneliness in social media users. Psychological Reports, 125(1), 218–231. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120980970

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Uzun, B., LeBlanc, S., Guclu, I. O., Ferrari, J. R., & Aydemir, A. (2022). Mediation effect of family environment on academic procrastination and life satisfaction: Assessing emerging adults. Current Psychology, 41(2), 1124–1130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02652-0

    Article Google Scholar

  • Wang, J., & Sun, Y. (2023). Time flies, but you’re in control: The mediating effect of self-control between time attitude and academic procrastination. BMC Psychology, 11(1), 393. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01438-2

    Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

  • Wang, P., Liu, S., Zhao, M., Yang, X., Zhang, G., Chu, X., Wang, X., Zeng, P., & Lei, L. (2019). How is problematic smartphone use related to adolescent depression? A moderated mediation analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 104, 104384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104384

    Article Google Scholar

  • Yaman, C. (2016). Facebook addiction levels of students in the physical education and sport. Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology, 4(2), 1–7.

    Google Scholar

  • Yang, Z. (2021). Does procrastination always predict lower life satisfaction?? A study on the moderation effect of Self-Regulation in China and the united Kingdom. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.690838

  • Ye, Z., Chi, S., Ma, X., & Pan, L. (2025). The impact of basic psychological needs on academic procrastination: The sequential mediating role of anxiety and self-control. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1576619

  • Yeh, Y. C., Wang, P. W., Huang, M. F., Lin, P. C., Chen, C. S., & Ko, C. H. (2017). The procrastination of internet gaming disorder in young adults: The clinical severity. Psychiatry Research, 254, 258–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.04.055

    Article PubMed Google Scholar

  • Zhu, Y., Jha, S. C., Shutta, K. H., Huang, T., Balasubramanian, R., Clish, C. B., Hankinson, S. E., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2022). Psychological distress and metabolomic markers: A systematic review of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and subclinical distress. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 143, 104954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104954

    Article Google Scholar

Funding

This research is funded by Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) under grant number 501.02-2023.01.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Education, Hue University, Hue City,, Viet Nam

    Long Dau Minh, Thi Truc Quynh Ho, Be Thi Ngoc Nguyen & Thi Thuy Hang Pham

Contributions

Long Dau Minh: wrote the main manuscript text Thi Truc Quynh Ho: wrote the main manuscript text and contacted the Journal Be Thi Ngoc Nguyen: prepared figure 1c, Table 3 Thi Thuy Hang Pham: prepared Table 1 and 2 All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thi Truc Quynh Ho.

Ethics declarations

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee. Ethical permission was obtained from a university in Vietnam.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

About this article

Cite this article

Dau Minh, L., Ho, T., Nguyen, B. et al. Procrastination as a Mediator Between Facebook Addiction and Mental Health. J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther 43, 34 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-025-00600-6

  • Accepted
  • Published
  • DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-025-00600-6

Keywords

  • Life satisfaction
  • Psychological distress
  • Facebook addiction
  • Procrastination, Vietnam

Copyright © All rights reserved Designed and Developed by Digital Flavers

WhatsApp