Relationship among family environment, self-control, friendship quality, and adolescents' smartphone addiction in South Korea: Findings from nationwide data.

Hye-Jin Kim,Tae-Jin Lee,Jin-Young Min,Kyoung-Bok Min,Seunghyun Yoo,Hajo Zeeb

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0190896

Abstract

BackgroundMany studies have examined the negative impact on smartphone addiction in adolescents. Recent concerns have focused on predictors of smartphone addiction. This study aimed to investigate the association of adolescents’ smartphone addiction with family environment (specifically, domestic violence and parental addiction). We further investigated whether self-control and friendship quality, as predictors of smartphone addiction, may reduce the observed risk.MethodsWe used the 2013 national survey on internet usage and utilization data from the National Information Agency of Korea. Information on exposure and covariates included self-reported experience of domestic violence and parental addiction, sociodemographic variables, and other variables potentially related to smartphone addiction. Smartphone addiction was estimated using a smartphone addiction proneness scale, a standardized measure developed by national institutions in Korea.ResultsAdolescents who had experienced domestic violence (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.23–2.45) and parental addiction (OR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.24–3.27) were found to be at an increased risk for smartphone addiction after controlling for all potential variables. Furthermore, on classifying adolescents according to their level of self-control and friendship quality the association between domestic violence and parental addiction, and smartphone addiction was found to be significant in the group with adolescents with lower levels of self-control (OR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.68–4.90 and OR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.34–2.83) and friendship quality (OR = 2.33; 95% CI: 1.41–3.85 and OR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.26–2.64).ConclusionOur findings suggest that family dysfunction was significantly associated with smartphone addiction. We also observed that self-control and friendship quality act as protective factors against adolescents’ smartphone addiction.

Highlights

With advancing technologies being employed in mobile devices and internet-based applications, smartphone use has sharply increased in recent years [1]
Adolescents who had experienced domestic violence (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.23–2.45) and parental addiction (OR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.24–3.27) were found to be at an increased risk for smartphone addiction after controlling for all potential variables
On classifying adolescents according to their level of self-control and friendship quality the association between domestic violence and parental addiction, and smartphone addiction was found to be significant in the group with adolescents with lower levels of self-control (OR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.68–4.90 and odds ratio (OR) = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.34–2.83) and friendship quality (OR = 2.33; 95% CI: 1.41–3.85 and OR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.26–2.64)

Summary

Introduction

With advancing technologies being employed in mobile devices and internet-based applications, smartphone use has sharply increased in recent years [1]. Smartphones have become a popular means of mobile communication, and they provide a platform for internet-based applications among adolescents; they a means of managing adolescents’ stress and help them cope with friends- and school-related problems [13,14,15]. Recent studies have highlighted the negative psychosocial and physical effects of smartphone addiction [16]. Internet use through smartphones has been considered to cause problematic behaviors such as violence, influenced by game-playing and cyber-bulling through social network services (SNSs); as the internet was considered an accessible source of pornography for adolescents [17]. We further investigated whether self-control and friendship quality, as predictors of smartphone addiction, may reduce the observed risk

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