Loneliness and Social Withdrawal Among College Students: The Mediating Role of Internet Addiction and the Moderating Effect of Sex

While loneliness is a known correlate of social withdrawal, the underlying mechanisms, particularly within college student populations, remain inadequately understood. This study addresses this gap by investigating the mediating role of internet addiction and the moderating role of sex in the relationship between loneliness and social withdrawal. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1978 Chinese college students. Analyses were performed using SEM (AMOS) and the PROCESS for SPSS to test a moderated mediation model. Results confirmed a significant positive association between loneliness and social withdrawal. Internet addiction was found to significantly mediate this relationship, explaining 50.7% of the total effect. Moreover, sex moderated the indirect pathway, suggesting that the strength of the mediating effect varied by sex. These findings provide empirical support for the Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness by elucidating the psychological processes linking loneliness to social withdrawal within a collectivist cultural context. The study also offers practical implications for developing targeted mental health interventions to reduce social withdrawal and promote social participation among college students.