Self-reported negative attentional bias is associated with smartphone addiction among male flight cadets: chain mediation by impulsivity and anxiety

BACKGROUND: With the widespread use of smartphones, smartphone addiction has become a prominent mental health issue Negative attentional bias, a stable cognitive trait, is closely linked to addictive behaviors. Drawing on cognitive resource theory and emotional regulation theory, self-reported negative attentional bias may be linked to increased impulsivity via cognitive resource depletion and heightened anxiety through amplified negative perceptions, with these associations potentially forming a chain pathway related to smartphone addiction. However, the specific mechanism remains unclear. METHODS: A convenience sample of 646 male flight cadet was surveyed using online questionnaires, including the Negative Information Attention Subscale (ANI), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS). SPSS 29.0 was used for correlation analysis, and the PROCESS macro with Bootstrap method was employed to test the mediating effects. RESULTS: There were significant positive correlations between negative attentional bias, impulsivity, anxiety, and smartphone addiction. Negative attentional bias is directly positively associated with smartphone addiction and shows indirect associations through three paths: impulsivity alone, anxiety alone, and the chain of "impulsivity→anxiety". CONCLUSION: This study identifies that self-reported negative attentional bias is associated with smartphone addiction in male flight cadets through both direct and indirect associative pathways involving impulsivity and anxiety. Given pilots' occupational demands for high cognitive stability, emotional regulation, the proposed interventions are relevant, targeting negative attentional bias may improve situational awareness, and managing anxiety may mitigate compensatory smartphone use that may disrupt pre-flight preparation or in-flight focus, and controlling impulsivity supports compliance with aviation safety rules. These findings provide a targeted theoretical basis for reducing smartphone addiction in male flight cadet.