Abstract
BACKGROUND: Recent evidence highlighted the potential of habitual smartphone use among youth to become an addiction analogous to established behavioral and substance-related addictions. While investigators revealed independent predictive effects of several sociodemographic factors, personality traits, psychological conditions, and smartphone usage patterns on smartphone addiction (SPA) in university students, none examined the independent effect of age at first smartphone use, a potential predictor variable, on subsequent development of SPA.OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the independent association between age at first smartphone use and SPA score in a sample of 688 Lebanese undergraduate university students.METHODS: A random sample of 688 undergraduate students selected from Notre Dame University, Lebanon filled out survey forms that included a) questions on socio-demographics, academics, smartphone use, personality type, depression, anxiety, and lifestyle habits; b) 26-item Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI) Scale. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the independent association between age at first use and SPA level.RESULTS: Mean age at first smartphone use was about 15 years. Younger age at first use of smartphone was found to be significantly associated with several SPA symptoms and correlated with higher total SPAI score. In the unadjusted regression model, higher total SPAI scores were found to be significantly associated with younger age at first smartphone use. This association remained significant in the partially adjusted model, but disappeared in the fully adjusted one when controlling additionally for smartphone use habits.CONCLUSION: Younger age at smartphone use did not independently predict SPA in this sample of students.
Highlights
Just recently, a growing body of research has confirmed that perpetual smartphone use among the youth, with particular emphasis on university students, is associated with several addictive symptoms that are analogous to those of substance-use disorder as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) including obsession, tolerance, inability to suppress urges, deterioration in life activities, unconcern for adverse effects, and withdrawal (Bian & Leung, 2015; Kim, Lee, Lee, Nam, & Chung, 2014; Kwon et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2014)
A random sample of 688 undergraduate students selected from Notre Dame University, Lebanon filled out survey forms that included a) questions on socio-demographics, academics, smartphone use, personality type, depression, anxiety, and lifestyle habits; b) 26-item Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI) Scale
Younger age at first use of smartphone was found to be significantly associated with several smartphone addiction (SPA) symptoms and correlated with higher total SPAI score
Summary
A growing body of research has confirmed that perpetual smartphone use among the youth, with particular emphasis on university students, is associated with several addictive symptoms that are analogous to those of substance-use disorder as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) including obsession, tolerance, inability to suppress urges, deterioration in life activities, unconcern for adverse effects, and withdrawal (Bian & Leung, 2015; Kim, Lee, Lee, Nam, & Chung, 2014; Kwon et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2014). 2015; Zhang, Chen, & Lee, 2014), on smartphone addiction in university students It supported the relationship between younger age of behavior onset during childhood and adolescence and increased likelihood of developing problematic behaviors such as problematic internet use, pathological gambling and problematic mobile phone use during early adulthood. Sahin, Ozdemir, Unsal, & Temiz (2013) showed problematic mobile phone use to be statistically significantly associated with younger age at first mobile phone use (≤13 vs ≥16 years) in Turkish university students (n=576, mean age= 20.8 years). While investigators revealed independent predictive effects of several sociodemographic factors, personality traits, psychological conditions, and smartphone usage patterns on smartphone addiction (SPA) in university students, none examined the independent effect of age at first smartphone use, a potential predictor variable, on subsequent development of SPA
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