Specific Virtues as Predictors of Smartphone Addiction among Chinese Undergraduates

Abstract

Smartphones are important communication and technological tools that have become an indispensable part of university students’ lives. Although empirical research has evaluated factors that influence Smartphone addiction, few studies have explored positive and potentially protective factors such as virtues that may increase the efficacy of future Smartphone addiction prevention programs. Thus, this study examined the relationship between three key virtues (i.e., relationship, vitality, and conscientiousness) and Smartphone addiction as well as evaluated the specific contributions of these virtues as applied to Smartphone use among Chinese university students. A total of 682 undergraduates (aged 18–24 years) from three universities completed the 96-item Chinese Virtues Questionnaire and Mobile Phone Addiction Index. Results showed that three virtues were significantly correlated with Smartphone addiction. Specifically, conscientiousness and relationship virtues negatively predicted Smartphone addiction and explained 82.61% of addiction-related variance. Vitality positively predicted Smartphone addiction and accounted for the remaining 17.39% variance. Thus, this study demonstrated that conscientiousness and relationship virtues were potential protective factors for Smartphone addiction, while vitality led to increased vulnerability. Gender-related differences were also discovered. Specifically, male students may be more sensitive to the conscientiousness virtue, while female students may show increased sensitivity to the relationship virtue. Consequently, future efforts to prevent Smartphone addiction could focus on how to enhance conscientiousness and relationship virtues and how to reduce the vitality virtue.