Depression and social anxiety in relation to problematic smartphone use

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon D. Elhai ◽  
Mojisola Tiamiyu ◽  
Justin Weeks

Purpose Previous research has found support for depression and anxiety severity in association with both increased and problematic smartphone use. However, little research has explored transdiagnostic psychopathology constructs as mediators that may account for these relationships. The purpose of this paper is to test rumination as a possible transdiagnostic (cross-sectional) mediator in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach The authors recruited 296 college students to complete relevant web survey measures, including the patient health questionnaire-9 (for depression severity), social interaction anxiety scale (for social anxiety severity), ruminative thought styles questionnaire, smartphone addiction scale-short version (to measure levels of problematic smartphone use), and a measure of smartphone use frequency. Findings The authors found support for a structural model whereby the severity of depression and social anxiety accounted for variance in rumination, which, in turn, correlated with problematic smartphone use levels. Rumination accounted for relations between both depression and social anxiety severity with levels of problematic use. Originality/value The authors discuss the role of rumination as a possible mechanism between anxiety- and depression-related psychopathology levels with problematic smartphone use severity. This study is unique in exploring rumination in the context of problematic smartphone use.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martial Pianta Sonkoue ◽  
Benjamin Momo Kadia ◽  
Miranda Baame Esong ◽  
Cyrielle Djouda Douanla ◽  
Jerome Ateudjieu

AbstractBackgroundSmartphones are an integral part of modern communication but addiction to these devices could predispose to common mental disorders.ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence of smartphone addiction and common mental disorders as well as the association between smartphone addiction and these mental disorders in Dschang university students who use smartphones.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted. Randomly selected students completed a survey comprising Patient Health Questionnaires seven and nine (PHQ-9 and PHQ-7) to screen for depression and anxiety respectively, and the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) to grade smartphone use. The association between smartphone use and common mental disorders was assessed using logistic regression modelling.ResultsWe recruited 634 participants. The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 20.98% [C.I:17.99%-24.32%]. The prevalence of depression and anxiety were 34.86% [95% CI: 31.25-38.65] and 19.27% [95% CI: 16.81-22.99] respectively. The odds of depression in students with addiction was 5 times the odds of depression in students without addiction [OR: 4.96, 95% CI: 3.30-7.45, p<0.001]. The odds of anxiety in students with addiction was 2 times the odds of anxiety in students without addiction [OR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.58-3.77, p<0.001]. After adjusting for age, sex, faculty, cycle of study, marital status, religion, chronic diseases, sexual abuse and suicidal ideation, there remained a statistically-significant association between smartphone addiction and both depression [OR: 4.46, 95%CI; 2.92-6.84, p<0.001] and anxiety [OR: 2.08, 95% CI; 1.31-3.30, p=0.002].ConclusionIn this setting, it is crucial to foster strategies of prevention and promotion in mental health especially among problematic smartphone users.


Author(s):  
Prosenjit Ghosh ◽  
Anweshan Ghosh ◽  
Madhurima Khasnabis

Background: Smartphone use has become pervasive in everyday lives of university students. Excessive smartphone use leads to various physical problems, as well as psychological issues like reduced academic achievement, social interactions, and leading to relationship problems. Depression, loneliness and anxiety have emerged as important predictors of smartphone addiction. Social anxiety also known as social phobia is an intense anxiety or fear of being negatively judged or rejected in a socially demanding situation. This may lead to individuals avoiding face-to-face interaction and increasingly engaging in online interaction. Medical post-graduate students are more vulnerable to stress due to the demanding nature of their course as well as extensive smartphone users. Objectives of the study were to see the socio-demographic distribution of the post-graduate medical students, to assess the pattern of smart phone use and prevalence of smartphone addiction in the post-graduate medical students, to see the association of smartphone addiction with pattern of use and to see the association of smartphone addiction with social phobia among the study participantsMethods: This study was cross-sectional non-interventional study. Self-reported questionnaires were used to collect information from 70 postgraduate medical students. The data was collected the smartphone addiction scale-short version and Liebowitz social anxiety scale.  The data obtained was analysed using SPSS version 23.Results: Majority of the participants were female, in the age group 26-30 years, single, belonging to upper middle class of an urban locality, with no past history of psychiatric illness. Most common functionality was social networking. The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 28.6% with similar gender predisposition. 37.1% of the study participants were found to have social phobia.Conclusions: No association was found between smartphone addiction and social phobia. The smartphone addiction was found to have significant association with pattern of use and duration of use (p<0.05).


Author(s):  
Adil M. AL Mahrooqi ◽  
Talal A. AL Agbari ◽  
Asma S. AL Shidhani

Background: The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of smartphone addiction and its correlation with depression among Higher College of Technology students in Oman.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Higher College of Technology, Oman. A self-reported questionnaire was distributed electronically to students between January and February 2017. The questionnaire contained a validated short version of the smartphone addiction scale (SAS-SV) and a validated Arabic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), along with a single question to self-assess smartphone addiction.Results: With a response rate of 86.2%, a total of 376 students were considered, of whom 34.6% were males and 65.4% were females, with an overall mean age of 20.9 years. This study showed that the prevalence of smartphone addiction in the study population using the SAS-SV was 63.8%; 88.3% of students were using their smartphones for four hours or more per day and 80% had been using smartphones for more than four years. The overall depression rate was 32.2%. As the total depression score increased by 1 point, the smartphone addiction score increased by 0.428 points (p<0.005). The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 54.9% among those who had no depression, 80.3% among those who had mild depression, 75.9% among those who had moderate depression, and 96.2% among those who have severe depression (p<0.005).Conclusions: This study shows high smartphone addiction levels based on SAS-SV scores and found a significant positive correlation between smartphone addiction score and depression scores.


Author(s):  
Tanja Poulain ◽  
Mandy Vogel ◽  
Tobias Kliesener ◽  
Wieland Kiess

Abstract Objectives The present longitudinal study investigates associations between changes in externalizing and internalizing behavioral difficulties and changes in problematic smartphone usage within the same 1-year period in healthy adolescents. Methods The project is part of the LIFE Child cohort study conducted in Leipzig, Germany. Ten- to 16-year-old adolescents (n = 363) provided information on behavioral difficulties [Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)], the duration of daily smartphone use, and symptoms of smartphone addiction [Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS)] at two consecutive study visits, t1 and t2 (1 year after t1). In the first of two analysis phases, we applied linear regression analyses to assess cross-sectional associations between externalizing and internalizing behavioral difficulties and the duration of smartphone use and symptoms of smartphone addiction (at t1 and t2). In the second, we assessed associations between the changes measured in these variables over the period of a year. All associations were adjusted for age, sex, and soci-economic status. Results Children who reported prolonged periods of smartphone use or more symptoms of smartphone addiction exhibited significantly higher levels of externalizing and internalizing behavioral difficulties at t1 and t2. Further, children who increased their usage or developed addiction symptoms between t1 and t2 also developed more externalizing behavioral difficulties. We found the same tendencies in regard to internalizing behavioral difficulties, although the associations did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions The present findings suggest that externalizing behavioral difficulties and problematic smartphone use are mutually dependent in the long term.


Author(s):  
Liat Turgeman ◽  
Inbar Hefner ◽  
Maayan Bazon ◽  
Or Yehoshua ◽  
Aviv Weinstein

Problematic smartphone use is the excessive use of the smartphone with negative impacts on the quality of life of the user. We investigated the association between social anxiety and excessive smartphone use. The sample consisted of 140 participants, 73 male and 67 female university students with a mean age of 26 years and 4 months (SD = 3.38), who filled in the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS). Results showed a positive association between social anxiety and excessive smartphone use. Social anxiety explained 31.5% of the variance of ratings on the SAS. A second study investigated the interaction between abstinence and sensation seeking and excessive smartphone use. The sample consisted of 60 participants, 44 female and 16 male university students. The sample was divided into two experimental conditions: 30 participants were abstinent for 1.5 h from the smartphone and 30 participants were non-abstinent. Results showed that excessive smartphone use increased in the group that abstained compared to those who did not. Secondly, participants who had high baseline sensation-seeking ratings had higher scores of excessive smartphone use after abstinence compared with those with low ratings of sensation seeking. These studies indicate the contribution of social anxiety to problematic smartphone use and how it can be exacerbated by the combination of abstinence and high sensation seeking.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Montag ◽  
Cornelia Sindermann ◽  
Dmitri Rozgonjuk ◽  
Shixin Yang ◽  
Jon D. Elhai ◽  
...  

The present study investigates links between fear of COVID-19, the personality trait of neuroticism, social networks use disorder, and smartphone use disorder (SNUD and SmUD, respectively) tendencies. In an online survey, N = 932 participants recruited at a Chinese University (237 males and 695 females) completed self-reports on fear of COVID-19, neuroticism (and other personality traits from the Big Five Inventory-44), the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (assessing tendencies toward SNUD), and the Smartphone Addiction Scale short version—assessing individual differences in tendencies toward SmUD.Our findings showed that all variables of main interest were positively correlated with each other. A mediation model suggested that SNUD (in parts) mediated the association between fear of COVID-19 and SmUD. Although neuroticism was robustly correlated with all mentioned variables, no moderation effect could be observed on the investigated fear-of-COVID-19-SNUD-link.The findings of this work provide further evidence that the smartphone itself is only a device giving individuals access to software applications, which might be excessively used. Beyond that, the present data indicate neuroticism to be a risk factor with respect to fear of COVID-19, SNUD, and SmUD, although the study is limited by its cross-sectional study design.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ningyuan Guo ◽  
Tzu Tsun Luk ◽  
Man Ping Wang ◽  
Sai Yin Ho ◽  
Daniel Yee Tak Fong ◽  
...  

Background: Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been associated with screen time in general, but little is known about the effect of different screen-based activities. We examined the associations of self-reported time spent on overall and specific screen-based activities with PSU and its addictive symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese adults.Methods: We analyzed data from 562 smartphone owners (56.5% female; 82.1% aged 25–64 years) in a population-based telephone survey in 2017. PSU was measured using Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (range 10–60) which includes symptoms of daily-life disturbance, withdrawal, cyberspace-oriented relationship, overuse, and tolerance. Screen time was self-reported as average hours per day spent on the internet, online book/newspaper/magazine, online video, and social networking sites (SNS). Multivariable linear regression analyzed the associations of self-reported screen time with PSU severity and symptoms. Interaction effects of sex, age group, educational attainment, and monthly household income were examined.Results: Self-reported time spent on overall screen-based activities was associated with PSU severity (β = 1.35, 95% CI 0.15, 2.55) and withdrawal and overuse symptoms, after adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related variables. Independent association was observed for self-reported SNS time with PSU severity (β = 1.42, 95% CI 0.35, 2.49) and symptoms of withdrawal and cyberspace-oriented relationship, after mutually adjusting for time on other activities. The strongest association between self-reported SNS time and PSU severity was observed in younger than older adults (β = 4.36, 95% CI 2.58, 6.13; P for interaction = 0.004).Conclusions: The independent association of self-reported SNS time with PSU and core addictive symptoms highlighted the addiction potential of SNS use, particularly in younger users.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 254-259
Author(s):  
Damla Cankurtaran ◽  
Zeynep Aykin Yigman ◽  
Fatih Yigman ◽  
Gulnur Celik

Objective: Long-term and repetitive use of smartphones may cause musculoskeletal symptoms such as neck pain. This pilot study aimed to examine the effect of smartphone usage on neck pain, disability, and cervical lordosis. Material and Methods: Seventy-eight patients were enrolled in this cross-sectional pilot study. The level of smartphone use was evaluated with the Smartphone addiction scale-short version (SAS-SV). Neck Bournemouth Questionnaire (NBQ), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were used to assess pain and disability. Cervical lordosis angle was measured using the Cobb method. Results: A positive significant correlation with low correlation coefficient (r= 0.277, p=0.014; r: 0.295, p=0.009) was determined between SAS-SV and NBQ, and NDI. However, no correlation was found between SAS-SV and cervical lordosis angle (p>0.05). When applying simple linear regression modeling to predict neck pain severity, the SAS-SV total score alone explained 7.7% of the variance of the NBQ and 9.0% of the variance of the NDI total score. Conclusion: We concluded that it would be beneficial to question the frequency and position of smartphone use, to recommend to use it less, and to avoid prolongation in neck flexion for patients with chronic neck pain.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sirisa Karki ◽  
Jaya Prasad Singh ◽  
Gita Paudel ◽  
Sushma Khatiwada ◽  
Sameer Timilsina

Abstract Introduction: Increasing smartphone use among adolescents in todays’ world has made this handy device an indispensable electronic tool, however, it comes at a price of problematic overuse or addiction. We aim to investigate the prevalence of smartphone addiction among undergraduate medical students and explore its association with various demographic and personal factors. Methods: A pool of 250 undergraduate students completed a survey composed of socio-demographics information, smartphone-use related variables and 10-point Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version in February 2019. Results: Smartphone addiction among medical students was estimated at around 36.8% with higher percentage of male smartphone addicts. Phubbing was reported by 37.6% participants with more than 60% reporting overuse. Statistically significant association was observed between smartphone addiction and gender and overuse. Self-acknowledgement of addiction was found to be the biggest predictor of smartphone addiction. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary insights into smartphone use, smartphone addiction and various factors predicting smartphone addiction among early undergraduate medical students from Nepal, which should be extended in future studies. Education policymakers and educators need to develop some strategies encouraging student’s smartphone utilization to enhance academic performance. Keywords: smartphone; addiction; undergraduate; medical.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heba Saadeh ◽  
Reem Q. Al Fayez ◽  
Assem Al Refaei ◽  
Nour Shewaikani ◽  
Hamzah Khawaldah ◽  
...  

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, Jordan enforced 10 weeks of home quarantine in the spring of 2020. A cross-sectional study was designed to assess this extended quarantine's effect on smartphone addiction levels among undergraduates. A random sample of 6,157 undergraduates completed an online questionnaire (mean age 19.79 ± 1.67 years; males 28.7%). The questionnaire contains different sections to collect socio-demographic, socio-economic, academic, quarantine-related information, and smartphone usage. The smartphone addiction scale-short version was used to assess the degree of addiction during the quarantine. The mean addiction score across the whole sample was 35.66 ± 12.08, while the prevalence of addiction among participants was 62.4% (63.5% in males and 61.9% in females). The majority of the participants (85%) reported that their smartphone usage during the quarantine increased or greatly increased (27.6 and 57.2%, respectively), with some 42% using their smartphones for more than 6 h a day. Nevertheless, three-quarters of the students wished to reduce their smartphone usage. Several demographic and quarantine factors have been assessed, and students' gender, the field of study, parental education, household income in addition to the location of quarantine (urban, rural) and the house specifications (apartment, independent house, with/without a garden) showed statistically significant associations with smartphone addiction during the quarantine. Female students, students studying scientific- and medical-related majors compared to those studying humanity majors, those with higher incomes, those who had been quarantined in an apartment without a garden, and those who lived in urban areas showed significantly higher addiction scores.


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