Self-control and problematic short-form video usage: the mediating roles of automaticity and value-driven attention

An increasing body of studies have revealed a correlation between self-control and problematic short-form video usage. However, the cognitive mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the mediating roles of automaticity and value-driven attention between self-control and problematic short-form video usage. Meanwhile, the scale of problematic short-form video usage test (PSVUT) was developed while the Chinese version of Value-Driven Attention Questionnaire (VDAQ) was verified. Drawing upon 561 valid survey responses from Chinese respondents, the findings show that PSVUT and VDAQ used in this study have good validity and reliability. Furthermore, a serial mediation modelling revealed that automaticity and value-driven attention fully mediates the relationship between self-control and problematic short-form video usage. Individuals with lower self-control tend to exhibit automatic responses, and hence selectively attend towards valuable stimuli. These processes ultimately lead to problematic short-form video usage. This study contributes to the literature by empirically verifying the I-PACE theoretical model and providing significant implications for preventing problematic online use behaviours.