Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of cyber-victimization (CV) and the moderating effect of academic stress (AS) in the link between smartphone addiction (SPA) and psychological distress (PD) among a sample of Vietnamese college students.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 423 college students participated in this study. Measures of SPA, CV, AS and PD were used for data collection. Using PROCESS macro software (Model 4 and Model 1) and the bootstrapping method, the author performed a mediation analysis and a moderation analysis.
Findings
Results indicated a significant mediating effect of CV in the link between SPA and PD. Moreover, this relationship was moderated by AS.
Originality/value
The findings could serve as a guide for future research and mental health professionals.
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