Abstract
Problematic smartphone use is the excessive use of the smartphone with negative impacts on the quality of life of the user. We investigated the association between social anxiety and excessive smartphone use. The sample consisted of 140 participants, 73 male and 67 female university students with a mean age of 26 years and 4 months (SD = 3.38), who filled in the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS). Results showed a positive association between social anxiety and excessive smartphone use. Social anxiety explained 31.5% of the variance of ratings on the SAS. A second study investigated the interaction between abstinence and sensation seeking and excessive smartphone use. The sample consisted of 60 participants, 44 female and 16 male university students. The sample was divided into two experimental conditions: 30 participants were abstinent for 1.5 h from the smartphone and 30 participants were non-abstinent. Results showed that excessive smartphone use increased in the group that abstained compared to those who did not. Secondly, participants who had high baseline sensation-seeking ratings had higher scores of excessive smartphone use after abstinence compared with those with low ratings of sensation seeking. These studies indicate the contribution of social anxiety to problematic smartphone use and how it can be exacerbated by the combination of abstinence and high sensation seeking.
Highlights
Behavioral addictions are characterized by excessive use despite adverse consequences, withdrawal phenomena, and tolerance that are typical of substance use disorders
In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [1], Internet and gaming disorder (IGD) is identified in Section III as a condition warranting further clinical research and experience before it might be considered for inclusion as a formal disorder
Based on our finding of an association between Internet addiction and social anxiety, this study investigated whether there is a positive association between problematic smartphone use and social anxiety
Summary
Behavioral addictions are characterized by excessive use despite adverse consequences, withdrawal phenomena, and tolerance that are typical of substance use disorders. There is a debate about whether Internet and gaming disorder (IGD) should be classified as a behavioral addiction. In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [1], IGD is identified in Section III as a condition warranting further clinical research and experience before it might be considered for inclusion as a formal disorder. The inclusion of gaming disorder (GD) in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), developed by the World Health. Organization (WHO) [2], has led to a lively debate in the last year. A large group of researchers have argued that including IGD will facilitate treatment and prevention for individuals with IGD [4]
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