Do the Four Components of Psychological Capital Have Differential Buffering Effects? A Longitudinal Study on Parental Neglect and Adolescent Problematic Short-Form Video Use

The growing prevalence of short-form video applications among adolescents has drawn increased public and scholarly attention to problematic short-form video use. The current longitudinal study gathered data from adolescents aged 12 to 15 across two waves spaced one year apart. A total of 665 participants provided reports on parental neglect, problematic short-form video use, psychological capital, and demographic details at Time 1 (T1), and reported again on problematic use at Time 2 (T2). After controlling for gender, age, parental education level, parental work status, family socioeconomic status, only-child status, and T1 problematic short-form video use, T1 parental neglect remained a significant predictor of T2 problematic use. Additionally, T1 self-efficacy, T1 resilience, and T1 hope significantly moderated the relationship between T1 parental neglect and T2 problematic use, whereas T1 optimism did not demonstrate a buffering effect. Specifically, the association between T1 parental neglect and T2 problematic use did not vary significantly between adolescents with high and low levels of optimism. However, the predictive effect was significantly weaker, though still statistically significant, among adolescents with higher self-efficacy and hope. Most notably, among those with higher resilience, the effect of parental neglect became non-significant. The study offers valuable evidence-based insights for preventing and addressing adolescent problematic short-form video use in the mobile internet era.