{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T14:07:09Z","timestamp":1779458829149,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778716800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Mental health issues, particularly symptoms of anxiety and depression, have become increasingly prominent among college students, with negative experiences such as ostracism identified as important correlates. However, the potential pathways linking ostracism to mental health issues remain to be further explored. By incorporating rumination and smartphone addiction, this study aimed to examine the associations among ostracism, rumination, smartphone addiction, and mental health issues in college students. A cross-sectional, self-reported questionnaire survey was conducted among 632 college students, measuring these four variables simultaneously. Correlation analyses and mediation analyses using a chain mediation model with bootstrap estimation were employed to examine the relationships among these variables. The results revealed significant positive associations among ostracism, rumination, smartphone addiction, and mental health issues. Further analyses indicated that rumination and smartphone addiction played a chain mediating role between ostracism and mental health issues. The bootstrap confidence intervals confirmed the significance of the indirect effects, which accounted for 32.62% of the total effect. These findings provide insight into the interrelationships among ostracism, rumination, smartphone addiction, and mental health issues in college students, contributing to a better understanding of factors related to mental health issues in this population and offering a reference for future research and potential intervention development in college settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs16050769","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T13:12:08Z","timestamp":1779455528000},"page":"769","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Relationship Between Ostracism and Mental Health Issues Among College Students: The Chain Mediating Role of Rumination and Smartphone Addiction"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-8158-8031","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chi","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chinese Language and Literature, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150080, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zheng","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Management, Guangzhou Nanfang College, Guangzhou 510970, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Hua","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Education Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiuchun","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Foreign Languages Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dongying","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Literature, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alwhaibi, M., and Al Aloola, N. A. (2023). Associations between stress, anxiety, depression and sleep quality among healthcare students. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12, (13).","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12134340"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125","DOI":"10.1037\/a0023357","article-title":"Rumination partially mediates the associations between perceived ethnic discrimination, emotional distress, and aggression","volume":"17","author":"Borders","year":"2011","journal-title":"Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-009-9047-0","article-title":"Stress, sex differences, and coping strategies among college students","volume":"28","author":"Brougham","year":"2009","journal-title":"Current Psychology"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"537","DOI":"10.1007\/s40894-022-00192-7","article-title":"Changes in college students mental health and lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of longitudinal studies","volume":"7","author":"Buizza","year":"2022","journal-title":"Adolescent Research Review"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"185","DOI":"10.1080\/07448481.2011.584334","article-title":"Individual, interpersonal, and institutional level factors associated with the mental health of college students","volume":"60","author":"Byrd","year":"2012","journal-title":"Journal of American College Health"},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Carter-Sowell, A. R. (2010). Salting a wound, building a callous, or throwing in the towel? The measurement and effects of chronic ostracism experiences. [Ph.D. Thesis, Purdue University]."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"991","DOI":"10.3724\/SP.J.1042.2022.00991","article-title":"Prevalence of mental health problems among college students in mainland China from 2010 to 2020: A meta-analysis","volume":"30","author":"Chen","year":"2022","journal-title":"Advances in Psychological Science"},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Kim, Y.-K. (2020). Comorbid anxiety and depression: Clinical and conceptual consideration and transdiagnostic treatment. Anxiety disorders: Rethinking and understanding recent discoveries, Springer."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"250","DOI":"10.3109\/01612840.2010.548906","article-title":"\u201cNot always smooth sailing\u201d: Mental health issues associated with the transition from high school to college","volume":"32","author":"Cleary","year":"2011","journal-title":"Issues in Mental Health Nursing"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"40","DOI":"10.3928\/02793695-20070401-09","article-title":"Striving to help college students with mental health issues","volume":"45","author":"Cook","year":"2007","journal-title":"Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"536","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-026-09034-4","article-title":"Intolerance of uncertainty and smartphone addiction: Mediating effects of reappraisal, suppression and rumination","volume":"45","year":"2026","journal-title":"Current Psychology"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"882","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-025-07309-w","article-title":"Social anxiety and smartphone addiction among college students: The mediating role of depressive symptoms","volume":"44","author":"Dou","year":"2025","journal-title":"Current Psychology"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gao, X., Zhong, J., Li, H., Pei, Y., Li, X., Zhang, S., Yue, Y., and Xiong, X. (2023). The relationship between perfectionism, self-perception of orofacial appearance, and mental health in college students. Frontiers in Public Health, 11.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1154413"},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"Hayes, A. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach, Guilford Publications."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18790","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-023-04957-8","article-title":"An analysis of the latent profile and influencing factors of the sense of the meaning of life amongst medical students post-COVID-19 from the perspective of Chinese collectivist culture","volume":"43","author":"He","year":"2024","journal-title":"Current Psychology"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e70171","DOI":"10.1002\/gps.70171","article-title":"Religious attendance, psychological well-being, and mental health issues among older adults: A seven-year longitudinal study in the United States","volume":"40","author":"Hua","year":"2025","journal-title":"International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Huang, J., and Liu, X. (2023). Anxiety, depression, and their comorbidity among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 lockdown in the post-epidemic era: An online cross-sectional survey. BMC Psychiatry, 23, (1).","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-023-05442-z"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"571","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-021-01474-4","article-title":"Stuck in companionless days, end up in sleepless nights: Relationships between ostracism, rumination, insomnia, and subjective well-being","volume":"42","author":"Jiang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Current Psychology"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2013.10.059","article-title":"A conceptual and methodological critique of internet addiction research: Towards a model of compensatory internet use","volume":"31","year":"2014","journal-title":"Computers in Human Behavior"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"113514","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2020.113514","article-title":"Stress, self-compassion, and well-being during the transition to college","volume":"269","author":"Kroshus","year":"2021","journal-title":"Social Science & Medicine"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lei, Y., Li, M., Lin, C., Zhang, C., and Yu, Z. (2024). The effect of ostracism on social withdrawal behavior: The mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of rejection sensitivity. Frontiers in Psychology, 15.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2024.1411697"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"31639","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-024-06749-0","article-title":"Social exclusion and video game addiction among college students: The mediating roles of depression and maladaptive cognition","volume":"43","author":"Li","year":"2024","journal-title":"Current Psychology"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, X., Xu, Y., Li, G., Ning, L., Xie, X., Shao, C., Liu, C., and Yang, X. (2024). The relationship between academic procrastination and anxiety symptoms among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the moderated mediation effects of resilience and social support. BMC Psychiatry, 24, (1).","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-024-06202-3"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111901","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paid.2022.111901","article-title":"How is the Big Five related to college students\u2019 anxiety: The role of rumination and resilience","volume":"200","author":"Liu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Personality and Individual Differences"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9446","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-025-07680-8","article-title":"The role of emotion-related impulsivity and inhibition in the associations between rumination and depressive symptoms in college students: The moderated mediation model","volume":"44","author":"Long","year":"2025","journal-title":"Current Psychology"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"86","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2009.06.019","article-title":"A 4-item measure of depression and anxiety: Validation and standardization of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) in the general population","volume":"122","author":"Wahl","year":"2010","journal-title":"Journal of Affective Disorders"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"186","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brat.2010.12.006","article-title":"Rumination as a transdiagnostic factor in depression and anxiety","volume":"49","author":"McLaughlin","year":"2011","journal-title":"Behaviour Research and Therapy"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"91","DOI":"10.1037\/a0028029","article-title":"Ostracism in everyday life","volume":"16","author":"Nezlek","year":"2012","journal-title":"Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"115","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.61.1.115","article-title":"A prospective study of depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms after a natural disaster: The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake","volume":"61","author":"Morrow","year":"1991","journal-title":"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"400","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1745-6924.2008.00088.x","article-title":"Rethinking rumination","volume":"3","author":"Wisco","year":"2008","journal-title":"Perspectives on Psychological Science"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"491","DOI":"10.1089\/cyber.2011.0580","article-title":"Social implications of smartphone use: Korean college students\u2019 smartphone use and psychological Well-being","volume":"15","author":"Park","year":"2012","journal-title":"Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111222","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paid.2021.111222","article-title":"Perceived stress and mobile phone addiction among college students during the 2019 coronavirus disease: The mediating roles of rumination and the moderating role of self-control","volume":"185","author":"Peng","year":"2022","journal-title":"Personality and Individual Differences"},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"879","DOI":"10.1037\/0021-9010.88.5.879","article-title":"Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies","volume":"88","author":"Podsakoff","year":"2003","journal-title":"Journal of Applied Psychology"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"724","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2018.10.056","article-title":"Unpacking the mechanisms underlying the relation between ostracism and Internet addiction","volume":"270","author":"Poon","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychiatry Research"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"426","DOI":"10.1177\/0146167220928238","article-title":"Seeking solitude after being ostracized: A replication and beyond","volume":"47","author":"Ren","year":"2021","journal-title":"Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"254","DOI":"10.1556\/JBA.3.2014.015","article-title":"The invisible addiction: Cell-phone activities and addiction among male and female college students","volume":"3","author":"Roberts","year":"2014","journal-title":"Journal of Behavioral Addictions"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100118","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadr.2021.100118","article-title":"Ostracism breeds depression: Longitudinal associations between ostracism and depression over a three-year-period","volume":"4","author":"Rudert","year":"2021","journal-title":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports"},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"94","DOI":"10.1017\/jgc.2020.25","article-title":"Self-esteem and perceived social competence protect adolescent students against ostracism and loneliness","volume":"31","author":"Mert","year":"2021","journal-title":"Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"66","DOI":"10.1080\/15283488.2014.989443","article-title":"Mental health issues and their relation to identity distress in college students","volume":"15","author":"Samuolis","year":"2015","journal-title":"Identity"},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"756","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2024.09.035","article-title":"Exploring the impact of smartphone addiction on mental health among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of resilience and parental attachment","volume":"367","author":"Shang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Journal of Affective Disorders"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112245","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paid.2023.112245","article-title":"Developmental trajectory of ostracism during the transition to college: The role of the five-factor model traits","volume":"210","author":"Shi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Personality and Individual Differences"},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"410","DOI":"10.2202\/1949-6605.1676","article-title":"Mental health issues facing a diverse sample of college students: Results from the college student mental health survey","volume":"43","author":"Soet","year":"2006","journal-title":"NASPA Journal"},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1334","DOI":"10.1007\/s11469-021-00661-5","article-title":"Ostracism and problematic smartphone use: The mediating effect of social self-efficacy and moderating effect of rejection sensitivity","volume":"21","author":"Sun","year":"2023","journal-title":"International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100114","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chbr.2021.100114","article-title":"The effects of smartphone addiction on learning: A meta-analysis","volume":"4","author":"Sunday","year":"2021","journal-title":"Computers in Human Behavior Reports"},{"key":"ref_45","first-page":"382","article-title":"Unveiling the nexus of personality traits, ostracism, and mental health issues in university students","volume":"2","author":"Tariq","year":"2024","journal-title":"Contemporary Journal of Social Science Review"},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1023910315561","article-title":"Rumination reconsidered: A psychometric analysis","volume":"27","author":"Treynor","year":"2003","journal-title":"Cognitive Therapy and Research"},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1209","DOI":"10.1007\/s11469-019-00119-9","article-title":"Smartphone addiction and its relationship with indices of social-emotional distress and personality","volume":"18","author":"Volungis","year":"2020","journal-title":"International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction"},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang, L., Guan, H., Fu, J., and Yu, W. (2026). Autonomous fitness behavior and social anxiety in college students: The chain mediating roles of rumination and emotional\u2013social isolation. The Journal of Psychology, 1\u201318.","DOI":"10.1080\/00223980.2026.2616286"},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103573","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brat.2020.103573","article-title":"Reflecting on rumination: Consequences, causes, mechanisms and treatment of rumination","volume":"127","author":"Watkins","year":"2020","journal-title":"Behaviour Research and Therapy"},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.3233\/DEV-1312115","article-title":"Rumination hinders recovery from ostracism","volume":"7","author":"Wesselmann","year":"2013","journal-title":"International Journal of Developmental Science"},{"key":"ref_51","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"236","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1751-9004.2007.00004.x","article-title":"Ostracism: The kiss of social death","volume":"1","author":"Williams","year":"2007","journal-title":"Social and Personality Psychology Compass"},{"key":"ref_52","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"275","DOI":"10.1016\/S0065-2601(08)00406-1","article-title":"Chapter 6 ostracism: A temporal need-threat model","volume":"Vol. 41","author":"Williams","year":"2009","journal-title":"Advances in experimental social psychology"},{"key":"ref_53","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Xia, H., Han, X., Cheng, J., Liu, D., Wu, Y., and Liu, Y. (2022). Effects of negative life events on depression in middle school students: The chain-mediating roles of rumination and perceived social support. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.781274"},{"key":"ref_54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Yan, J., Lian, Y., and He, L. (2024). Perceived ambidextrous leadership and nurses\u2019 mental health: A work-family perspective. BMC Nursing, 23, (1).","DOI":"10.1186\/s12912-024-02090-w"},{"key":"ref_55","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Yang, L., Liu, Z., Shi, S., Dong, Y., Cheng, H., and Li, T. (2023). The mediating role of perceived stress and academic procrastination between physical activity and depressive symptoms among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, (1).","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20010773"},{"key":"ref_56","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Yue, H., Yue, X., Zhang, X., Liu, B., and Bao, H. (2022). Exploring the relationship between social exclusion and smartphone addiction: The mediating roles of loneliness and self-control. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.945631"},{"key":"ref_57","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103980","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actpsy.2023.103980","article-title":"Exploring the relationship between social exclusion and social media addiction: The mediating roles of anger and impulsivity","volume":"238","author":"Yue","year":"2023","journal-title":"Acta Psychologica"},{"key":"ref_58","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"692","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jesp.2005.10.007","article-title":"How long does it last? The persistence of the effects of ostracism in the socially anxious","volume":"42","author":"Zadro","year":"2006","journal-title":"Journal of Experimental Social Psychology"},{"key":"ref_59","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106552","DOI":"10.1016\/j.addbeh.2020.106552","article-title":"Effects of smartphone addiction on sleep quality among Chinese university students: The mediating role of self-regulation and bedtime procrastination","volume":"111","author":"Zhang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Addictive Behaviors"},{"key":"ref_60","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhao, X., Wang, H., Ma, Z., Zhang, L., and Chang, T. (2025). Smartphone addiction and academic procrastination among college students: A serial mediation model of self-control and academic self-efficacy [Original Research]. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1572963"}],"container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-328X\/16\/5\/769\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T13:29:22Z","timestamp":1779456562000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-328X\/16\/5\/769"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]},"references-count":60,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5]]}},"alternative-id":["bs16050769"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/bs16050769","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-328X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-328X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]]}}}