Measurement invariance of the Phubbing Scale across 20 countries

Phubbing in Adolescents: Spanish Validation of the Phubbing Scale (PS)

The Phubbing Scale (PS) is an instrument used to measure the frequency and extent of the behavior of ignoring someone you are with and giving attention to your mobile phone instead. However, there is insufficient evidence about the psychometric adequacy of the Spanish version of the instrument. The main goal of this research was to analyze the psychometric properties of PS in a representative sample of Spanish adolescents and young adults. A total of 1351 participants comprised the sample (42.78% females, age range = 12-21). Students were selected from different levels of education such as secondary school, high school, vocational training, or university. A convenient sample was used. The reliability of the scores was calculated by means of McDonald's Omega. The evidence of the internal structure of the questionnaire was analyzed by means of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The measurement invariance of the instrument by gender and educational level was also calculated. In addition, Pearson's correlations between phubbing and other indicators of mental health were also calculated. The goodness-of-fit indices for the two-factor model were good. The McDonald's Omega coefficient for the total score was 0.787. Measurement invariance both by gender and educational level was found. The phenomenon of phubbing was found to have statistically significant correlations with emotional well-being, other mental health indicators, and with Problematic Internet Use (PIU), with the sole exception of the hyperactivity subscale of the SDQ. This study provided validity evidence for the Spanish version of the Phubbing Scale (PS), suggesting that PS is a reliable tool for quantifying phubbing in Spanish adolescents.

Nomophobia and Phubbing Levels of Nursing Students: A Multicenter Study

Today, with the enhancement in the usage of smartphones, the concepts of nomophobia and phubbing have emerged. Nomophobia refers to the fear of being deprived of smartphones/smart devices. Phubbing is the use of a person's smartphone in situations that are not appropriate for the situation, time, and place. Therefore, the study purposed to evaluate nursing students' nomophobia and phubbing scores in Turkey, Portugal, and the United States. The data were collected with the Personal Information Questionnaire, Nomophobia Scale, and Phubbing Scale from N = 446 nursing students. The mean age of the students was 22.04 ± 4.08 years, and 86.5% were women. It was found that the total nomophobia scores of the nursing students were 80.15 ± 21.96, 72.29 ± 28.09, and 99.65 ± 6.11, respectively in Turkey, Portugal, and the United States. When the countries' Nomophobia Scale total scores, "giving up convenience," "not being able to communicate," and "losing connectedness" scores were compared with each other, they were found to be statistically significant ( P < .05). When the countries' Phubbing Scale total scores and all subscale scores were compared with each other were found to be statistically significant ( P < .05). It is seen that nomophobia scores were moderate (60 ≤ NMP-Q nomophobia ≤ 99) and phubbing scores (<40) were below the level indicating addiction in all countries.

Prevalence of phubbing behaviour in school and university students in Spain

Objective

This study examined the prevalence of phubbing behavior among school and university students in Spain and analyzed the correlation of phubbing with other indicators of psychological well-being and mental health.

Methods

The study sample comprised a total of 1,351 school and university students, with ages ranging from 12 to 21 years. The study used the Phubbing Scale (PS), the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), and the Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ) for data collection.

Results

The results showed evidence of phubbing among approximately half of the students. Statistically significant differences were found based on gender and educational level in the Phone Obsession subscale and the PS total score, with male students and university students scoring higher in their respective parameters. In addition, phubbing was positively correlated with problematic internet use and negatively correlated with self-esteem.

Conclusion

Phubbing behavior is highly prevalent among adolescents aged 12-21 years and is positively correlated with low self-esteem and problematic internet use. Developing strategies for addressing this widespread issue at early ages, particularly within the educational context, such as schools, is crucial for implementing preventive measures. The inappropriate use of technological devices, including smartphones, in schools has the potential to negatively affect students' well-being and ability to adapt to school.

The Impact of Family Functioning Factors on Smartphone Addiction and Phubbing among Muslim Adolescents in Thailand

BACKGROUND

While there is research on protective factors against smartphone addiction (SA) and phubbing, which impact adolescents' physical, psychological, interpersonal, and academic well-being, focused studies on these issues among Thai Muslim students in Southern Thailand remain scarce.

OBJECTIVES

To bridge this gap, this research aimed to explore the influence of five family functioning factors-discipline, communication and problem-solving (CPS), relationship, emotional status, and family support-guided by family systems theory and the McMaster Model, on SA and phubbing.

METHODS

Data from 825 Thai Muslim adolescent secondary school students (Female N = 459 (55.7%), Mage = 15.11 ± 1.78) across three southern Thai provinces were analyzed utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM).

RESULTS

Significant connections were identified between family functioning factors, particularly emotional status and discipline, and SA, and their impact on phubbing behavior. SA was found to mediate the relationship between these two family factors and phubbing. Interestingly, a higher quality of family relationships was found to be associated with an increased risk of SA, while the other two family functions-CPS and family support-demonstrated no significant association with these digital behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite its limitations, including a cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reports, the study underscores the importance of specific family functions in preventing and addressing adolescent SA and phubbing.

Exploring the personality and relationship factors that mediate the connection between differentiation of self and phubbing

One of the family patterns crucial for mental and physical well-being is differentiation of self. In this study, our aim was to investigate its impact on the phenomenon of phubbing-where individuals prioritize smartphones over in-person interactions. The prevalence of phubbing behavior has risen substantially in tandem with the increased adoption of smartphones. The study investigated familial, interpersonal, and personal factors that could potentially contribute to the escalation of phubbing behaviors. It was hypothesized that differentiation of self would be associated with phubbing through the mediation of fear of missing out, romantic relationship satisfaction, and loneliness in intimate relationships. We also expected gender differences in the study variables. A sample of 431 young adults, with an average age of 29 (M = 29.05, SD = 9.14), completed the DSI-R, Phubbing, FoMO, ENRICH, and LIRS questionnaires online. Results indicated that fear of missing out mediated the relationship between three dimensions of differentiation of self-emotional reactivity, emotional cutoff, and fusion with others-and phubbing behavior. However, the expected mediation by romantic relationship satisfaction and loneliness in intimate relationships did not reach significance, although these variables were found to be associated with differentiation of self. Women reported higher levels of phubbing behavior, emotional reactivity, and fusion with others, whereas men reported higher levels of I-position. We conclude that fear of missing out may serve as a catalyst, triggering anxiety in individuals, which in turn drives them to adopt phubbing as a coping mechanism. Moreover, individuals with lower levels of differentiation of self appear to be at increased risk of engaging in phubbing behaviors through the mediation of fear of missing out.

Phubbing behavior, personality, and use of instagram by Brazilian adults: a correlational and predictive study

Phubbing behavior is a phenomenon that consists in ignoring people in situations of social interaction whilst paying attention to one's smartphone. The study of this behavior enables reflection on the development of healthy behavior patterns when using technology and the design of intervention strategies to cope with phubbing behavior. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between phubbing behavior, use of Instagram, personality traits (Big Five), and sociodemographic variables (gender, education, and age) among Brazilian adults. This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 1551 adults (61.7% women; 29.9% men), aged between 18 and 76 years (M = 31.6 years; SD = 9.6 years). The results of the correlation analysis indicated that excessive use of Instagram showed a high, positive association ρ (1551) = 0.442 with Phubbing Behavior and a moderate one with neuroticism ρ (1551) = 0.272. Phubbing behavior was positively and moderately with neuroticism ρ (1551) = 0.290, but it had a weak, negative correlation with age ρ (1551) = -0.117; p < 0.001. Multiple linear regression analysis (forward method) indicated that the variables that most strongly impacted Phubbing Behavior were neuroticism (ΔR2 = .236), conscientiousness (ΔR2 = .244) and use of Instagram (ΔR2 = .204). This result indicates that conscientiousness may have a predictive potential to decrease phubbing behavior, whereas neuroticism and use of Instagram may lead to increased phubbing. Multivariate Analysis of Variance indicated that excessive use of Instagram registered higher scores for women (M = 11.48; SD = 0.21) than for men (M = 9.45; SD = 0.27, p < 0.001). It was concluded that while conscientiousness can function as a protective factor for the development of phubbing behavior, high levels of neuroticism and excessive use of Instagram have greater potential to act as risk factors for it. In addition, neuroticism is also a risk factor for excessive use of Instagram, and women are more prone to such overuse.

Validation of the Perceived Phubbing Scale to the Argentine Context

In recent years, the increased use of mobile devices has changed social dynamics. One such change is the rise of phubbing, described as the behavior of ignoring someone in order to pay attention to one's cell phone. The purpose of this research was to validate the Perceived Phubbing Scale (PPS) and examine its relationship with other psychological variables. An Argentine sample was composed of 1608 participants aged between 18 and 65 (M = 45.59; SD 14.03), with 51.6% identifying as female. They were provided with a phubbing scale, along with scales to measure emotional disconnection, fear of missing out (FoMO) and social exclusion, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The results indicated that the PPS showed an adequate fit to the data, based on a structure of one factor (X²₍₂₀₎ = 259.353, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.958; IFI = 0.958; RMSEA = 0.089) and the internal consistency (α = 0.93), resulting in a nine-item scale. Participants with high or medium levels of phubbing showed a tendency to suffer FoMO or feel socially excluded or socially isolated. We did not find differences in the levels of phubbing related to the participant's age, gender, or socioeconomic level. It is possible to conclude that PPS can be used as a reliable measure to evaluate perceived phubbing in Argentina. Implications of the variables studied are discussed as possible predictors of phubbing and are to be considered in its approach.

The Phubbing Scale (PS-8) in the Portuguese population: psychometric properties

Phubbing is defined as ignoring other individuals by using a mobile phone during a face-to-face conversation. The Phubbing Scale (PS) was developed to assess this practice. In this study, we analyze the psychometric properties of the 8-item version of the PS (PS-8) in the Portuguese population, providing validity evidence based on internal structure and on relationships with other variables, and examining item properties, reliability, and measurement invariance across gender. Participants were 391 Portuguese adults (132 men, 259 women) who completed a battery of questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices for the two-factor structure (communication disturbance and phone obsession), which was invariant across gender. Item homogeneity and reliability of factor scores (McDonald’s omega) were satisfactory. Validity evidence based on relationships with other variables was provided by positive associations with time spent on the Internet on weekdays and at the weekend, time spent on social networking sites, number of social networks used, Internet addiction, problematic mobile phone use, Facebook intrusion, fear of missing out, and depression. These associations show the addictive component of phubbing and its relationship with mental health. The PS-8 is a short and easy-to-administer scale with adequate psychometric properties for measuring phubbing in the Portuguese population.

Country Indicators Moderating the Relationship Between Phubbing and Psychological Distress: A Study in 20 Countries

Problematic mobile phone use can be related to negative mental states. Some studies indicate that behavioural dependency is related to variables associated with the country of origin. The aim of our study was to investigate if country indicators moderated the relationship between phubbing and psychological distress. Our sample consisted of 7,315 individuals from 20 countries, who completed the Phubbing Scale and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). The analyses also included country indicators: the Gender Gap Index (GGI), the Human Development Index (HDI), the Social Progress Index (SPI), Hofstede’s dimensions of culture, and the World Happiness Index (WHI). Our results showed that psychological distress was related to at least one dimension of phubbing (i.e., to communication disturbance or phone obsession) in all countries, which means this relationship is culturally universal. The results of the study demonstrate the importance of testing measurement invariance to determine what type of analysis and what type of conclusion are valid in a given study or comparison. Moreover, the increasing or decreasing correlation between phubbing and distress is related to some culture-level indices.

Measuring Phubbing in Close Relationships: E. Karadağ`s Phubbing Scale and J. Roberts` Scale of Partner Phubbing

The paper is devoted to study of phubbing, a relatively new phenomenon of interpersonal, close relationships. Problem: the lack of reliable measures in Russian aimed at measuring phubbing and its perception in close relationships. Aim: to adapt short diagnostic scales for the Russian-speaking sample — Phubbing Scale and Partner phubbing (Pphubbing). Sample includes 337 people: 180 women and 157 men aged 18 to 35, 84 couples, partners of close relationships for 1—8 years among them. Method: Phubbing Scale, E. Karadağ, et al., 2015 and Partner phubbing (Pphubbing) by J.A. Roberts, M.E. David, 2015; reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, parametric comparison methods. Results: Phubbing Scale (α=0.83) and Partner phubbing (Pphubbing) (α=0.87) have good psychometric consistency characteristics. The results of correlation analysis and confirmatory factor analysis as a method of structural modeling confirms sufficient construct validity. Conclusion. Both measures (Phubbing Scale and Partner phubbing (Pphubbing)) differentiate respondents well according to the studied characteristics and have a high predictive value for the corresponding general population. The adapted scales can be used in phubbing studies among Russian-speaking samples.