Role of smartphone addiction in gambling passion and schoolwork engagement: a Dualistic Model of Passion approach.

Ibeawuchi K Enwereuzor,Leonard I Ugwu,Dorothy I Ugwu

doi:10.1186/s40405-016-0018-8

Ibeawuchi K Enwereuzor, Leonard I Ugwu + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40405-016-0018-8

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Abstract

There are growing concerns that seem to suggest that students no longer engage in school-related activities as they ought to. Recent observation has revealed that students now spend excessive time participating in Internet gambling with their smartphone during school period. This trend could have far-reaching consequences on their schoolwork engagement and by extension, academic performance. Drawing on the Dualistic Model of Passion, this study therefore, examined the mediatory role of smartphone addiction in the gambling passion—schoolwork engagement relation. A cross-sectional design was adopted. Male undergraduates (N = 278) of a large public university in Nigeria who engage in Internet gambling participated in the study. They completed self-report measures of gambling passion, smartphone addiction, and schoolwork engagement. Results showed that harmonious gambling passion was not related to smartphone addiction whereas it was positively related to schoolwork engagement. Obsessive gambling passion had positive and negative relations with smartphone addiction and schoolwork engagement, respectively. Smartphone addiction was negatively related to schoolwork engagement and mediated only the obsessive gambling passion—schoolwork engagement relation but not that between harmonious gambling passion and schoolwork engagement. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Highlights

Schools represent contexts where students attend classes, work on projects and assignments, and study (Salanova et al 2010; Salmela-Aro and Upadaya 2012)
The results showed that the bias corrected (BC) bootstrap confidence intervals (CI) for the indirect effect of harmonious gambling passion on schoolwork engagement via smartphone addiction was not statistically different from zero (H4a; bootstrap estimate = −.004, lower CI = −.020, upper CI = .010, n.s.) whereas that of obsessive gambling passion on schoolwork engagement via smartphone addiction was statistically different from zero (H4b; bootstrap estimate = −.034, lower CI = −.073, upper CI = −.010, p < .05)
Consistent with past researches that have shown that having a harmonious passion toward an activity is linked to increased desirable outcomes such as psychological well-being indicators, mastery goal pursuit, performance and the like, whereas obsessive passion toward an activity is unrelated or negatively related to such desirable outcomes (e.g., Carpentier et al 2012; Vallerand et al 2007, 2008, Study 1 and 2), the current study shows that having a harmonious passion toward gambling is linked to increased schoolwork engagement whereas obsessive passion toward gambling is linked to decreased schoolwork engagement

Summary

Introduction

Schools represent contexts where students attend classes, work on projects and assignments, and study (Salanova et al 2010; Salmela-Aro and Upadaya 2012). Several studies have linked increased levels of schoolwork engagement to positive outcomes such as increased performance (e.g., Bakker et al 2015; Salanova et al 2010; Schaufeli et al 2002) whereas other studies linked lower levels of schoolwork engagement to a range of negative outcomes including increased school burnout and depressive symptoms (e.g., Marion et al 2014; Salmela-Aro et al 2009; Salmela-Aro and Upadaya 2012) Taken together, these studies are indicative of the importance of engaging in schoolwork in the lives of students. Absorption is characterized by being fully concentrated on studying, whereby time seems to pass quickly

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