The Relationship between Problematic Use of Smartphones and Social Anxiety

Abstract

This study investigated the smartphone use as the indicators of smartphone addiction and their associations with social anxiety as related variables. Problematic use of smartphones which is well known to be associated with anxiety might act as a common underlying factor explaining social anxiety disorder. This study aims to analyze the associations between mobile phone dependence and social anxiety disorder and to find possible predictors of social anxiety. Methods: Smartphone addiction assessed using the 20-item Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and Smartphone addiction scale (SAS). Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) was used to determine social anxiety. The correlational analysis used to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction and social anxiety. Linear regression conducted to calculate the predictors of social anxiety based on smartphone addiction parameters. Results: It is revealed that the level of social anxiety and smartphone addiction scales are positively correlated. Linear regression models for male and female participants showed different predictors of social anxiety. Conclusions: The study provides deeper insights into smartphone use and smartphone addiction as predictors of social anxiety in young people and concluded lesser dependence of males’ social anxiety on smartphone addiction level than the females’.