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Anxiety, emotional abuse, and physical activity as correlates of AI-related affective dependence among adolescents: mediation, moderation, and network analyses

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Objective: Drawing on attachment and emotion-regulation perspectives, this cross-sectional study examined the associations among emotional abuse (EA), anxiety, physical activity (PA), and AI-related affective dependence (hereafter, AI dependence) among adolescents. Methods: In November 2025, a total of 1,589 Chinese adolescents completed self-report questionnaires assessing EA, anxiety, PA, and AI dependence. Descriptive analyses, Pearson correlations, mediation and moderated mediation models, and a covariate-adjusted partial-correlation network were conducted. Common method bias was evaluated using both Harman's single-factor test and a CFA-based unmeasured latent method construct (ULMC) approach. Results: EA was positively associated with anxiety and AI dependence and negatively associated with PA. Anxiety statistically accounted for a small but significant proportion of the EA-AI dependence association [indirect effect = 0.034, 95% CI (0.013, 0.055), 16.43% of the total association]. PA moderated the EA-anxiety association; the positive association was weaker among adolescents reporting higher PA. In the network analysis, the EA-anxiety edge was the strongest conditional association, and EA showed the highest node strength, although these findings should be interpreted descriptively rather than causally. Conclusion: The findings suggest that anxiety and PA are meaningful correlates in the association between EA and AI dependence. Because the data are cross-sectional, the results indicate statistical associations rather than temporal or causal mechanisms.

Source: Frontiers in Public Health

DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1956596