Perceived stress and mobile phone addiction among Chinese undergraduate nursing students: The mediating role of organisational caring climate and self-control

Abstract Background: The rapid development of digital technology has fuelled the widespread use of various electronic devices in daily life, particularly, mobile phones. However, the alarming rise in problematic mobile phone use poses a threat to healthcare professionals’ clinical practice, resulting in adverse physiological, psychological, and social effects. Methods: Between February and May 2023, 900 Chinese nursing graduate students from ten colleges completed questionnaires, resulting in a response rate of 98.47%. The questionnaires covered general demographics, perceived stress, organizational climate, self-control, and mobile phone addiction tendency. The data were analysed using SPSS23.0 and macro PROCESS. Results: (1) Perceived stress among undergraduate nursing students positively correlated with mobile addiction (r=0.362, P <0.01) and negatively correlated with organisational caring climate and self-control (r = -0.162, -0.515, P <0.01). Organisational caring climate positively correlated with self-control (r=0.152, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with mobile phone addiction (r =-0.156, P < 0.01). Self-control negatively correlated with mobile phone addiction (r = -0.468, P < 0.01). (2) Perceived stress indirectly influenced mobile addiction through three paths: the independent mediating effect of organisational caring climate, the independent mediating effect of self-control, and the chain mediating effect of organizational caring climate and self-control. Conclusions: Greater perception of an organisational caring climate among graduate nursing students enhances their self-control abilities, facilitating effective stress management and mitigating the negative impact of mobile phone addiction on the clinical practice of healthcare professionals.