Short video flow, loneliness, and psychological distress among young Turkish adults: a cross-lagged panel study

Abstract Short video platforms have become a dominant form of digital media consumption, offering highly immersive and personalized user experiences. Although short video flow — defined as the psychological state of deep absorption and intrinsic enjoyment experienced during short video consumption — has been associated with various adverse mental health outcomes, the longitudinal mechanisms underlying this relationship remain insufficiently understood, particularly in non-Asian cultural contexts. This study examined the longitudinal relationship between short video flow and psychological distress among young Turkish adults, with a specific focus on the mediating role of loneliness. A two-wave longitudinal design with a five-month interval was employed. The sample consisted of 495 young Turkish adults (84.2% female) aged between 18 and 40 years (M = 21.23, SD = 2.18), most of whom were aged 19–23 years. Participants completed self-report measures assessing short video flow, loneliness, and psychological distress. Cross-lagged panel analysis was conducted to test the hypothesized longitudinal mediation model while controlling for autoregressive effects. The findings indicated that short video flow at Time 1 significantly predicted higher levels of loneliness at Time 2 (β = 0.14, p < .001). In turn, loneliness at Time 1 significantly predicted increased psychological distress at Time 2 (β = 0.21, p < .001). Short video flow at Time 1 also directly predicted psychological distress at Time 2 (β = 0.10, p < .05), and the indirect effect through loneliness was statistically significant (B = 0.017, 95% CI [0.005, 0.030]; standardized β = 0.030). Incremental fit indices met conventional thresholds (CFI = 0.94, IFI = 0.94, NFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92, GFI = 0.91), although RMSEA = 0.094, 90% CI [0.085, 0.104], and χ²/df = 5.38 exceeded recommended cutoffs, indicating some degree of model misspecification. The results supported a partial longitudinal mediation effect of loneliness in the relationship between short video flow and psychological distress. These findings suggest that greater experiences of short video flow may indirectly exacerbate psychological distress by increasing feelings of loneliness over time. Interventions aimed at reducing loneliness and promoting healthier patterns of digital media engagement may be particularly beneficial in mitigating the negative psychological effects of short video platforms.