Negative urgency is a tendency to engage in rash behaviors when experiencing negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, and stress, and is known to predict addictive behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the effect of negative urgency on smartphone addiction as one of behavioral addictions.

Self-report questionnaires were administered to 350 college (graduate) students to assess the level of depression, anxiety, stress, negative urgency, and smartphone addiction.

Regression and bootstrapping analyses showed that negative urgency partially mediated the relationships between each of depression, anxiety, and stress and smartphone addiction, even after controlling for age, sex, and average time spent on smartphone per day.

Negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, or stress affect smartphone addiction through negative urgency. This finding suggests that intervention for smartphone addiction should focus not only on negative emotions but also on reducing negative urgency. Further implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of mindfulness on the relationship between borderline personality trait and psychological distress.

529 female undergraduates participated to complete self-report questionnaires.

Correlational analyses showed that borderline personality trait was positively associated with psychological distress and negatively associated with mindfulness, and mindfulness was negatively related to psychological distress. Regression analyses suggested that low level of mindfulness partially mediated the relationship between borderline personality trait and psychological distress. Among mindfulness facets ‘acting with awareness,’ ‘nonjudging,’ and ‘nonreactivity’ had significant mediating effects.

Borderline personality trait affects psychological distress through low mindfulness―specifically in acting with awareness, nonjudging, or nonreactivity. This finding suggests that intervention focusing on these mindfulness facets may be helpful for those with borderline trait and psychological distress.

This study examined the mediating effects of experiential avoidance on the relationship between stress and internet/smartphone addiction in adolescents.

448 middle school students completed the self-report questionnaires on school stress, home stress, multidimensional experiential avoidance, and internet/smartphone addiction.

Regression analyses and tests of indirect effects using bootstrapping showed that ‘procrastination’ and ‘distress aversion’ factors of experiential avoidance mediated the relationship between stress (school, home) and internet/smartphone addiction.

Stress increases internet/smartphone addiction through procrastination or distress aversion in adolescents. Interventions should focus not only on stress but also on experiential avoidance.