Abstract: Objective:To explore the influence of psychological capital on college students’ short video addiction as well as the roles of meaning in life and perceived social support in this relationship. Methods:A survey was conducted among 529 college students using the Psychological Capital Scale, the Short Video Addiction Questionnaire, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire and the Perceived Social Support Scale; afterwards the data collected were analyzed with SPSS 26.0. Results:1) psychological capital significantly negatively predicted short video addiction among college students (β=-0.27, p<0.01); 2) meaning in life partially mediated the relationship between psychological capital and short video addiction (β=-0.16,p<0.01), accounting for 59.26% of the total effect; and 3) perceived social support significantly moderated the direct effect of psychological capital on short video addiction (B=-0.09,p<0.01) and the indirect effect of meaning in life on short video addiction (B=-0.06,p<0.05), with the mediating effect being more pronounced among individuals with higher perceived social support. Conclusion:Psychological capital can directly lower the likelihood of short video addiction among college students and can also indirectly reduce addictive behaviors by enhancing meaning in life. Greater perceived social support amplifies the protective effects along both pathways, thereby decreasing the probability of short video addiction.

Key words: psychological capital, short video addiction, meaning in life, perceived social support, college student