Impact on Negative Mood and Craving of a Classroom Policy Prohibiting Mobile Technology Use

Abstract

This pilot study examined the impact of a classroom policy prohibiting mobile technology (MT; e.g., smartphones) use on negative mood and craving. We also examined personality, problematic use, and negative mood as predictors of craving. Participants were college students in courses in which (1) MT use for any reason was prohibited (experimental) or (2) MT use for academic purposes was permitted (control). At the end of a 50-min class period, participants completed measures of craving (i.e., how much they wanted to use MT for non-academic purposes), negative mood, negative urgency (i.e., impulsivity related to strong emotions), and problematic use. Results showed that 15.6% of participants reported “moderate” and 9.4% reported “quite a bit” to “extreme” levels of craving. Although fewer experimental (6.1%) than control (29.5%) participants acknowledged MT use during the class period, Pearsonχ2 (83) = 8.04, p = .005, most participants in both groups reported having abstained from MT use (experimental 79.6%; control 63.6%). Thus, it is not surprising that the two groups did not differ in terms of craving (experimental: M = 2.1; control: M = 1.8). Hierarchical regression analysis showed that higher negative urgency (β = 0.393, p = .003), more problems from use (β = 0.361, p = .003), and more negative mood (β = 0.324, p = .005) were associated with stronger craving. Future research should examine whether high negative urgency and more negative mood are associated with a greater likelihood of MT use in risky circumstances due to their impact on craving.