Abstract
This study developed a Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS) based on the existing internet and cellular phone addiction scales. For the development of this scale, 29 items (1.5 times the final number of items) were initially selected as preliminary items, based on the previous studies on internet/phone addiction as well as the clinical experience of involved experts. The preliminary scale was administered to a nationally representative sample of 795 students in elementary, middle, and high schools across South Korea. Then, final 15 items were selected according to the reliability test results. The final scale consisted of four subdomains: (1) disturbance of adaptive functions, (2) virtual life orientation, (3) withdrawal, and (4) tolerance. The final scale indicated a high reliability with Cronbach's α of .880. Support for the scale's criterion validity has been demonstrated by its relationship to the internet addiction scale, KS-II (r = .49). For the analysis of construct validity, we tested the Structural Equation Model. The results showed the four-factor structure to be valid (NFI = .943, TLI = .902, CFI = .902, RMSEA = .034). Smartphone addiction is gaining a greater spotlight as possibly a new form of addiction along with internet addiction. The SAPS appears to be a reliable and valid diagnostic scale for screening adolescents who may be at risk of smartphone addiction. Further implications and limitations are discussed.
Highlights
The propagation of personal computers in the 1990’s gave birth to a digital revolution
The items that lowered the overall reliability of the subdomain if deleted as well as the items with the highest reliability were selected for the final scale
The study developed a brief 15-item smartphone addiction proneness scale that could be used in nation-wide data collection efforts
Summary
The propagation of personal computers in the 1990’s gave birth to a digital revolution. Personal desktops soon evolved into PMPs, tablet PCs, and smartphones – devices that have become increasingly common in people’s lives. The distribution rate of smartphones is in an upward trend worldwide since 2000 [1]. Such widespread use of smartphones has been named ‘‘Smart Revolution,’’ and has been bringing dramatic changes in people’s daily lives. Smartphone usage has made life more convenient for many people, it has brought about adverse effects in the realms of psychological well-being, interpersonal relationships, and physical health. Due to easy access to online environment through smartphones, negative consequences of online disinhibition effect characterized by lowered behavioral inhibitions [2] [3] are becoming more rampant, in forms of cyber violence
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