Testing psychological processes between childhood risks and adulthood short-form video addiction from a life history perspective

There is a growing public concern about short-form video addiction (SVA) due to its high prevalence and negative health consequences. This study applied life history (LH) theory, tested the effects of childhood risks on SVA, and investigated the mechanisms of LH strategy, emotion regulation, and sensation seeking. A sample of 991 Chinese short-form video users (28.5% male) voluntarily completed online questionnaires. The path analysis results indicated that childhood unpredictability had both direct (β = 0.21, 95% CI [0.17, 0.34]) and indirect (serially mediated by LH strategy and emotion regulation; β = 0.01, 95% CI [0.01, 0.03]) effects on SVA. Childhood harshness had significant indirect effects on SVA by emotion regulation and sensation seeking, respectively (β = 0.03, 95% CI [0.01, 0.04] and β = −0.01, 95% CI [−0.02, −0.01]). Moreover, there was a significant serial mediation pathway, via LH strategy and emotion regulation, between childhood harshness and SVA (β = 0.02, 95% CI [0.01, 0.02]). These findings suggest that people who experienced unpredictability during early life tend to be vulnerable to SVA. Emotion regulation is a more salient mediator in the effects of childhood risks on SVA. Intervention programs for SVA may want to provide effective emotion regulation strategies, especially for those with unpredictable childhood experiences. The unexpected results for sensation seeking may reveal the complex interplay between environmental and psychological factors in the development of SVA. Future research should consider various internal mechanisms simultaneously to gain a comprehensive understanding of SVA to apply for effective interventions.