Depression and anxiety symptoms are related to problematic smartphone use severity in Chinese young adults: Fear of missing out as a mediator

Abstract Background Adults all over the world face serious issues from problematic smartphone use (PSU). It influences them negatively on a cognitive, behavioral, and emotional level, as well as on their tendencies and well-being. In Lebanon, the prevalence of PSU was shown to be 20.2% within the adult population, specifically with young adults (18–34 years old). This study investigates the validity and reliability of the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) Arabic version. In addition, this study evaluates the association between PSU and affective temperaments and the mediating role of self-esteem in this association. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out between August and September 2020, using a sample of community-dwelling participants aged 18 to 29 years. The Smartphone Addiction Scale—Short Version was used to evaluate smartphone addiction among adolescents and adults. The five different temperaments of the patients were assessed by using the Affective temperament Scale (TEMPS‐A). The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used to evaluate self-esteem. Results 461 participants were included in this study. All items of the SAS were extracted and yielded a one-factor solution with Eigenvalues > 1 (variance explained = 49.96%; αCronbach = 0.886). The confirmatory analysis results consolidated those obtained from the factor analysis. Higher depressive temperament (B = 0.46) was significantly associated with more smartphone addiction, whereas higher self-esteem (B = − 0.28) was significantly associated with less smartphone addiction. Self-esteem was found to mediate the association between depressive and hyperthymic temperaments with smartphone addiction. Conclusion This study added a better understanding of the high smartphone addiction rate among adults in Lebanon. It confirms the association between affective temperaments and PSU through the mediating effect of self-esteem on Lebanese adults.

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Excessive reassurance seeking mediates relations between rumination and problematic smartphone use

Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic ◽

10.1521/bumc_2020_84_07 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 84 (2) ◽

pp. 137-155 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jon D. Elhai ◽

Dmitri Rozgonjuk ◽

Ahmad M. Alghraibeh ◽

Jason C. Levine ◽

Ali A. Alafnan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Important Variable ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Problematic Smartphone Use ◽

Reassurance Seeking ◽

Excessive Reassurance Seeking ◽

Seeking Behavior ◽

Smartphone Use ◽

Psychopathology Symptoms ◽

Relationship Of

Aside from depression and anxiety, less is known about the relationship of problematic smartphone use (PSU) to other psychopathology- related variables. The authors' aim was to test previously neglected variables in relation to PSU: rumination and excessive reassurance seeking behavior (ERSB). The authors recruited 295 college students for a web-based survey of smartphone use frequency, PSU, depression and anxiety, ruminative thinking, and ERSB. The authors tested linear regression and mediation models, assessing rumination and ERSB as mediating associations between depression/anxiety severity with PSU, adjusting for age, sex, and smartphone use frequency. Results demonstrate that ERSB was significantly related to PSU severity, and ERSB mediated the association between rumination and PSU. Furthermore, the combination of rumination and ERSB mediated relations between both depression and anxiety severity with PSU. Results provide evidence for ERSB as an important variable in understanding relationships between psychopathology symptoms and PSU severity among college students.

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Health anxiety related to problematic smartphone use and gaming disorder severity during COVID ‐19: Fear of missing out as a mediator

Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies ◽

10.1002/hbe2.227 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jon D. Elhai ◽

Dean McKay ◽

Haibo Yang ◽

Charlene Minaya ◽

Christian Montag ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Anxiety ◽

Gaming Disorder ◽

Problematic Smartphone Use ◽

Fear Of Missing Out ◽

Smartphone Use

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Proneness to Boredom Mediates Relationships Between Problematic Smartphone Use With Depression and Anxiety Severity

Social Science Computer Review ◽

10.1177/0894439317741087 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 36 (6) ◽

pp. 707-720 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Jon D. Elhai ◽

Juanita K. Vasquez ◽

Samuel D. Lustgarten ◽

Jason C. Levine ◽

Brian J. Hall

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Symptom Severity ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Anxiety Symptom ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Problematic Smartphone Use ◽

Smartphone Use ◽

Boredom Proneness

Research demonstrates that depression and anxiety symptom severity are related to problematic smartphone use (PSU). However, less is known about variables mediating these relationships. This study aimed to test whether proneness to boredom increased PSU. We also tested whether boredom proneness mediates relations between both depression and anxiety symptom severity with PSU. Using a cross-sectional design, we surveyed 298 American college students about their frequency of smartphone use, levels of PSU, depression, anxiety, and boredom proneness. Using structural equation modeling, we modeled depression and anxiety symptom severity predicting boredom proneness, in turn predicting levels of PSU and smartphone use frequency (SUF). Results demonstrate that boredom proneness predicted PSU, but not SUF. Boredom proneness mediated relations between both depression and anxiety symptom severity with PSU levels (but not usage frequency). We discuss the phenomenon in terms of depressed or anxious college students having difficulty attending to their schoolwork, subsequently experiencing boredom, and engaging in PSU to relieve their boredom.

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