Sequential Pathway from Socially Prescribed Perfectionism to Social Media Self-Control Failure: The Mediating Effects of Achievement Self-Discrepancy and Change In Depression

This study examined how socially prescribed perfectionism leads to social media self-control failure through achievement self-discrepancy and depression. Using a two-wave, two-week longitudinal design with 522 Korean young adults, structural equation modeling supported a sequential cognitive–emotional–behavioral pathway, highlighting emotion-focused mechanisms underlying digital self-regulation difficulties.