Internet addiction and mind-wandering in Chinese college students: chain mediation roles of physical activity and self-control.

BACKGROUND: Against the backdrop of the deep integration of mobile internet technologies into university students' daily lives, concerns regarding the potential impact of internet addiction on cognitive functioning have been increasing, while mind-wandering, as an important manifestation of impaired attentional control, remains insufficiently understood in terms of its underlying mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between internet addiction and mind-wandering among college students, along with the chain mediating roles of physical activity and self-control. METHODS: A convenience sample of 3,472 Chinese college students completed the Internet Addiction Test-Short Form, the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire, the Physical Activity Rating Scale, and the Brief Self-Control Scale. Data analysis used SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 26.0 for descriptive, correlational, and structural equation modeling, with mediation effects tested via bootstrap (5,000 resamples). RESULTS: Internet addiction showed a positive association with mind-wandering and negative associations with physical activity and self-control. Both physical activity and self-control showed negative associations with mind-wandering, while physical activity showed a positive association with self-control. Structural equation modeling indicated that internet addiction directly predicted mind-wandering and indirectly influenced it through the independent mediating effects of physical activity and self-control, as well as through a sequential chain mediation pathway. CONCLUSION: These findings point to both behavioral (physical activity) and cognitive (self-control) pathways through which internet addiction relates to mind-wandering. This integrated behavioral-cognitive framework informs understanding of the cognitive correlates of internet addiction and suggests directions for targeted interventions among college students.