Gender differences in smartphone addiction and depression among Korean adolescents: Focusing on the internal mechanisms of attention deficit and self-control

Abstract

Guided by the Internet Paradox model, this study examined gender differences in the mediating roles of attention deficit and self-control on the relationship between smartphone addiction and depression. Data were drawn from the 6th panel data of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS) and the study sample comprised 2056 18-year-old high-school students (male = 1041, female = 1015). Multi-group path analysis was conducted by using Mplus version 7 with robust maximum likelihood estimation. Results of multi-group path analysis demonstrate that (a) smartphone addiction had a direct association with depression in both genders and (b) attention deficit and self-control had indirect associations between smartphone addiction and depression among female adolescents, but only attention deficit had an indirect association between smartphone addiction and depression among male adolescents. Helping professionals should make an effort to improve adolescents' attention span and self-control to prevent depression among adolescents with smartphone addiction by developing innovative educational programs and interventions.