Abstract
The term Phantom Phone Signals (PPS) refers to the perception of a mobile phone ringing, vibrating and blinking when in fact it did not. Data in youth are lacking, and controversies exist on whether PPS is related to psychopathology. In the present study, we showed data on the prevalence of PPS in a population (N = 2959) of students aged 10 to 14 years. We also explored the possible association between PPS and emotional or behavioural problems. Our results showed that PPS is a relatively common phenomenon with a prevalence rate of 58.9%, being more frequent in females. In univariate and multivariate analyses, we also found an association between the presence of PPS and emotional problems and temper tantrums, after accounting for relevant covariates. PPS is a relevant phenomenon to be considered in youth. It is common and may be a signal for emotional problems.
Highlights
Most of the studies agreed with Phantom Phone Signals (PPS) being a common phenomenon, with various prevalence estimates; in the only review present in the literature, the prevalence of PPS ranged between 27.4% and 89% [2]
The logistic regression model revealed that emotional problems and temper tantrums were the two psychopathological variables associated with the presence of PPS (OR = 1.06 and 1.1 respectively, p = 0.005 and p = 0.05), after controlling for age, gender and smartphone-related variables
This suggested that older age, female gender, higher time spent on the smartphone and more frequent checking of the smartphone, were all factors linked to PPS; after accounting for those factors, emotional problems and temper tantrums were still significant predictors
Summary
“Phantom Vibration” (PV) or “Phantom Ringing” (PR) refers to the mistaken perception of a phone vibrating or ringing, respectively, when it did not; in previous literature, other terms were used, such as ‘‘ringxiety,” ‘‘vibranxiety”, ‘‘FauxCellArm” and the all-inclusive term Phantom Phone Signals (PPS) proposed by Tanis et al [1], which includes all kinds of perceptions of phone signals. Most of the studies agreed with PPS being a common phenomenon, with various prevalence estimates; in the only review present in the literature, the prevalence of PPS ranged between 27.4% and 89% [2]. Aside the above mentioned factors previously identified, mental health problems (and related to that susceptibility to mild hallucinations) explain the presence of PPS in a youth population. For the first time, the relationship of PPS with other behavioural problems
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