The role of right inferior frontal gyrus spontaneous activity in mediating the relationship between perceived stress and problematic social media use in young adults

This study investigated whether spontaneous neural activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) mediates the relationship between perceived stress and the severity of problematic social media use (PSMU) among young adults. A sample of 66 healthy university students in China underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and completed the Chinese versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) was calculated to assess spontaneous neural activity. The results showed that lower ALFF in the right IFG (orbital part, BA47) was significantly associated with higher PSMU severity. Perceived stress, specifically its tension subscale, was positively correlated with PSMU and negatively correlated with right IFG ALFF. Mediation analysis further revealed that right IFG ALFF partially mediated the relationship between perceived stress (tension) and PSMU severity, accounting for approximately 37% of the total effect. These findings suggest that reduced spontaneous activity in the right IFG may serve as a neural pathway through which perceived stress is associated with PSMU severity, highlighting the right IFG as a potential target for interventions aimed at enhancing prefrontal regulatory function in individuals with high stress and social media overuse.