Influence of perceived discrimination on problematic smartphone use among Chinese deaf and hard-of-hearing students: Serial mediating effects of sense of security and social avoidance

Background: Reducing the rate and impact of problematic smartphone use (PSU) among deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students has become a social issue. Research has suggested that perceived discrimination is associated with PSU, although the underlying mechanism of this association for DHH students is not clear. Aims: This study explored the mediating roles of sense of security and social avoidance in the association between perceived discrimination and PSU among Chinese DHH students. Method: Five hundred and seventy DHH students, selected through simple random sampling, participated in an online survey, which included measurements of perceived discrimination, sense of security, social avoidance, and PSU. The results were analyzed with SPSS 25.0 and Mplus 7.0. Results: (1) Perceived discrimination, sense of security, and social avoidance were significantly associated with PSU among DHH students; (2) sense of security and social avoidance played mediating roles separately in the association between perceived discrimination and PSU; (3) sense of security and social avoidance played serial mediating roles in the relationship between perceived discrimination and PSU. Conclusions: The findings suggest that discriminatory experiences of DHH students are related to a relatively low sense of security and high social avoidance, which may lead to PSU. The results have important implications for the prevention of and intervention for PSU among DHH students.