Short Video Addiction Risk Transitions Among University Students: A Three-Wave Latent Transition Analysis of Unintentional Procrastination and Self-Concept Clarity

This study examined changes in short video addiction (SVA) among university students. Three-wave longitudinal data were used to identify relative SVA profiles, estimate transitions among these profiles, and examine the prospective associations of unintentional procrastination and self-concept clarity with subsequent profile membership. A total of 2145 students completed at least one assessment. The primary latent transition analysis included 1135 students with valid SVA data at two or more waves, and the predictor analyses included 679 three-wave completers. Three ordered profiles characterized by lower, moderate, and higher SVA were identified. These profiles represent relative latent classes within the present sample and are not diagnostic categories. Profile membership showed both stability and movement across adjacent waves. In the classification error-adjusted predictor analyses, higher unintentional procrastination was associated with lower odds of membership in the lower profile relative to the higher profile among students initially in the moderate profile. Higher self-concept clarity was associated with greater odds of maintaining lower or moderate profile membership relative to membership in the higher profile. These findings indicate that relative SVA profile membership can change over time and that unintentional procrastination and self-concept clarity show different prospective associations with subsequent profile membership.