28:T409,

Social media addiction (SMA) is considered a risk factor for aggressive behaviors in adolescents, while its underlying mechanisms remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the possible mediating roles of nighttime social media use and sleep quality in the relationship between SMA and aggressive behaviors. A sample of 773 Italian secondary school students (49.9% female, age range = 11–15 years) completed a self-report questionnaire that included information on SMA, nighttime social media use, sleep quality, and aggressive behaviors. Results indicated that SMA was positively associated with aggressive behaviors. In addition, SMA was positively related to nighttime social media use and negatively related to sleep quality. Nighttime social media use was associated with a poorer sleep quality, which in turn associated with more aggressive behaviors. Analyses indicated that both nighttime social media use and sleep quality were mediators in the relationship between SMA and aggressive behaviors in adolescents.

29:T44a,

This brief report explores the associations of interpersonal strengths with subjective well-being and psychological flourishing among high-ability adolescents (M = 13.08, SD = 2.17) in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. It also examines the indirect effects of strengths on well-being outcomes via satisfaction of basic psychological needs at school. Results demonstrated that love and leadership served as the most robust predictors of basic psychological needs satisfaction. Love was consistently associated with higher well-being outcomes. Whereas leadership was linked to higher levels of satisfaction with all dimensions of basic needs, this strength was related to lower levels of emotional well-being. Further, love, social intelligence, leadership, and kindness had indirect effects on life satisfaction, positive emotions, and flourishing via the satisfaction of basic needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. This research showcases the mental health benefits of selected interpersonal strengths during the pandemic outbreak.

2a:T428,

The frequency, intensity and variability of emotional experiences increase in early adolescence, which may be partly due to adolescents’ heightened affective sensitivity to social stimuli. While this increased variability is likely intrinsic to adolescent development, greater mood variability is nevertheless associated with the risk of internalising psychopathology. Early adolescents (N = 58, ages 13–14) reported their social context and mood when prompted by a smartphone application. Valence, arousal, and their variability were compared across social contexts using multilevel regression models. Social contexts were defined by the presence of close others, peripheral others, both, or neither. Arousal was lower when alone. Valence was lower and more variable, and arousal was more variable when alone than in either close or peripheral company. This is the first time that level and variability of valence and arousal in adolescent affect have been shown systematically to differ for the same individual in different daily-life social contexts.