Fear of COVID-19 and Smartphone Addiction Among Turkish Adolescents: Mitigating Role of Resilience

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to examine the mediating effect of resilience on the association between fear of COVID-19 and smartphone addiction in the era of COVID-19. Participants included 508 Turkish adolescents (53.9% girls; M = 17.78 ± 1.11 years) attending high schools or supplementary schools and completed measures of fear of COVID-19, smartphone addiction, and resilience. Girls reported higher scores on fear of COVID-19 and smartphone addiction and lower scores on resilience than their peers. Findings indicated that fear of COVID-19 significantly predicted resilience and smartphone addiction. Resilience also significantly predicted smartphone addiction. Mediation analysis showed that resilience partially mediated the relationship of fear of COVID-19 with smartphone addiction. Overall, current results suggest that high levels of fear of COVID-19 fuel the development of smartphone symptoms through reduced resilience. The fear of the COVID-19-smartphone addiction association appeared to be partially explained through resilience.