Reciprocal longitudinal effects among Korean young adolescent' negative peer relationships, social withdrawal, and smartphone dependence

The research should consider the complex dynamics of social interaction to better understand smartphone dependence among adolescents. In social situations, adolescents can choose to interact with their peers or use their smartphones, and smartphone dependence can drive adolescents far away from interaction with their peers. Adolescents, conversely, may use smartphones to avoid peer interaction because they have experienced social withdrawal or negative peer relationships. Previous research has not discussed enough what precedes or follows in longitudinal relationships. This study aims to examine the reciprocal longitudinal effects between adolescents' negative peer relationships, social withdrawal, and smartphone dependence. The analysis used longitudinal panel data collected yearly between 2018 and 2020 from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS) sampled from adolescents in the Republic of Korea and employed autoregressive cross-lagged modeling on 2230 participants. The reciprocal longitudinal relationships differed depending on the sub-factors of smartphone dependence. For instance, the sub-factor of smartphone dependence, including virtual life orientation and withdrawal, had reciprocal longitudinal relationships with negative peer relationships. The other sub-factor of smartphone dependence, including daily life disturbance and tolerance, influenced negative peer relationships consistently, but the converse path did not. In addition, social withdrawal longitudinally affected negative peer relationships the following year. However, the reciprocal longitudinal relationships between social withdrawal and smartphone dependence were not significant in any path in this research. This research provides practical implications for intervention to reduce smartphone dependence among young adolescents.

Validation of a modified problematic use of mobile phones scale to examine problematic smartphone use and dependence

Over the past decade, the world population has experienced rapid and widespread adoption of smartphones due to their usefulness and convenience. However, researchers have identified a range of adverse behaviours associated with the adoption of smartphones and their higher use. These behaviours are collectively described as Problematic Smartphone Use and Dependence (PSUD). Despite growing research, the underlying processes and drivers leading to these behaviours are inadequately understood. This can partly be attributed to the absence of developed statistical tools and measures that allow researchers to build a comprehensive conceptual understanding of PSUD. To address this issue, this study proposes and evaluates a validated extension to the Problematic Use of Mobile Phones (PUMP) scale. The extension of this tool incorporates factors associated with substance dependence outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), including additional items to measure PSUD accurately, referred to as the modified problematic use of mobile phones (MPUMP) scale. The newly developed tool was used in a cross-sectional online survey during September and October 2022, drawing on 1018 adult Australian participants. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) were conducted to derive the underlying factors. The EFA revealed two distinct factors: Distraction and Dysregulation. Both factors exhibited high internal consistency, with Cronbach's Alpha coefficients of 0.92 and 0.86, respectively. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant variations inthe identified factors' mean scores across different socio-demographic characteristics. The study provides evidence that the MPUMP scale is a validated and reliable measure for accurately assessing PSUD. The study findings offer novel insights into the psychosocial and physical aspects of PSUD, providing a foundation for exploring the causes and potential interventions for PSUD.

Intolerance of uncertainty fuels preservice teachers' smartphone dependence through rumination and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Objectives

We aimed to explore the relationship among intolerance of uncertainty (IU), rumination, anxiety, and smartphone dependence (SPD) in preservice teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Two cross-sectional studies were conducted with Chinese preservice teachers, using questionnaires on IU, rumination, anxiety, and SPD. Data were analyzed using AMOS 24.0 and SPSS 25.0, and the mediating mechanism was tested using the macro program Model 6. Study 1 recruited participants who were forcibly sequestered in a university due to an anti-epidemic policy during the COVID-19 crisis. Study 2 was surveyed online from different universities to replicate and enhance the reliability of Study 1 finding.

Results

Study 1 (N = 553, Mage = 20.8 ± 2.3, 30.0% female) and Study 2 (N = 1610, Mage = 21.1 ± 2.1, 51.4% female) both found that IU affected SPD through the independent mediators of rumination and anxiety, as well as the chain mediation of rumination→ anxiety. In Study 1, the indirect effect of IU on SPD was significant through rumination (β = 0.16, 95% CI [0.03, 0.06]), anxiety (β = 0.11, 95% CI [0.03, 0.06]), and the chain mediation (β = 0.02, 95% CI [0.01, 0.04]); in Study 2, the indirect effect of IU on SPD was significant through rumination (β = 0.08, 95% CI [0.05, 0.11]), anxiety (β = 0.10, 95% CI [0.08, 0.13]), and the chain mediation (β = 0.02, 95% CI [0.02, 0.03]).

Conclusion

Two cross-sectional studies found that preservice teachers' SPD is indirectly connected to IU, mediated by rumination and anxiety, and weakly mediated by the chain mediation of rumination and anxiety. Our findings may help educators understand the impact of anti-epidemic policies on preservice teachers and possible inclusive later interventions.

PROBLEMATIC USE OF SMARTPHONE AND NOMOPHOBIA AMONG MEDICAL AND NURSING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF A TERTIARY CARE REFERRAL HOSPITAL IN INDIA AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH QUALITY OF LIFE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

BACKGROUND

Overuse of smartphone amongst today's young generation has assumed an epidemic proportion. Assessment of severity of Nomophobia and Smartphone use related problems is important as it can help to ascertain the current adverse consequences of Smartphone problematic use. The study aims to assess the association between smartphone dependence, nomophobia and quality of life in undergraduate medical and nursing students in a tertiary care referral hospital cum medical institution in India.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 437 medical and nursing undergraduate students, which involved assessing their dependence for smartphone and nomophobia using the Test for Mobile Phone dependence (TMD) questionnaire brief version and Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) respectively.

RESULTS

The average hours spent on smartphone per day for the study population was 3.2 hours. Smartphone dependence was found in 12% of study participants. Nearly 50% in each batch had moderate degree of nomophobia and around 13-15% had severe nomophobia. Both smartphone dependence and nomophobia were significantly associated with each other and had significant associations with poorer quality of life in the medical and nursing students. Preclinical medical students scored higher in all the domains of Smartphone dependence and nomophobia questionnaire and were associated with poor quality of life compared to other batches.

CONCLUSION

Excessive smartphone use is associated with poorer quality of life in medical and nursing students. More studies in future are required that will involve various age groups and other educational streams which willadd up to the existing knowledge on technology addiction.

The Relationship Between Parental Neglect, School Adjustment, and Smartphone Dependence in Korean Adolescents: Verification Using Multivariate Latent Growth Modeling

The Social bonding theory assumes that social ties are closely associated with maladaptive behavior, and this theory may be applied to explain the smartphone dependence in adolescence. The purpose of this study was to verify how school adjustment mediated the relationship between the parental neglect and smartphone dependence. The data from Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey were utilized in this study. Participants were 2280 students in the 2nd year of middle school [male 1152, female 1128; 13.89 years (SD = 0.34)] who were followed up for four years. We conducted a Multivariate Latent Growth Modeling (LGM) to verify the relationships between variables. In addition, mediating effect was analyzed using the Bootstrapping Test. Findings indicated that parental neglect was negatively associated with school adjustment in the first wave, and school adjustment showed a greater decrease as parental neglect indicated a greater increase. In addition, school adjustment was negatively associated with smartphone dependence in the first wave, and smartphone dependence showed a greater decrease as school adjustment indicated a greater increase. Mediating effect indicated that parental neglect indirectly influences smartphone dependence fully mediating school adjustment. In conclusion, parental neglect indirectly influences smartphone dependence by interfering with school adjustment. In addition, reducing the negative effects of parental neglect on school adaptation may be an effective strategy to prevent smartphone dependence in adolescence.