The Relationship between Mobile Phone Dependency and Academic Burnout in Middle and High School Students

Background: With the proliferation of smartphones, adolescent mobile phone dependency has intensified, potentially precipitating academic burnout and other adverse outcomes among students. Contemporary study mostly examines college populations, resulting in a lack of exploration on the internal mechanisms connecting mobile phone dependency to academic burnout. In addition to analysing the chain-mediated effects of sleep quality and cognitive flexibility, this study sought to provide theoretical insights for prevention by applying the Conservation of Resourcestheory to examine the relationship between academic burnout and mobile phone dependency among middle and high school students. Methods: A cluster convenience sampling approach was adopted. Data were collected from 811 middle and high school students in Tianjin, China, using a paper-based questionnaire battery comprising the Mobile Phone Addiction Index, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, and the Adolescent Academic Burnout Scale. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were conducted using SPSS 25.0. Chain mediation effects were examined via the PROCESS macro, with significance assessed using bias-corrected bootstrap 95% confidence intervals. Results: A statistically significant positive link exists between mobile phone dependency and academic burnout among middle and high school students (r = 0.575, p < 0.001). Dependence on mobile phones had a substantial direct impact on academic burnout (β = 0.303, p < 0.001). Chain mediation analysis revealed that mobile phone dependency had a substantial direct impact on academic burnout (β = 0.303, p < 0.001). Sleep quality and cognitive flexibility mediated the link between mobile phone dependency and academic burnout. These indirect pathwaysrepresent 44.18% of the total effect. Conclusions: Mobile phone dependency contributesto academic burnout among middle and high school students, mediated sequentially by sleep quality and cognitive flexibility. These findings suggest a potential intervention strategy to mitigate academic burnout by targeting excessive mobile phone use, enhancing sleep hygiene, and implementing cognitive flexibility training.