The relationship between problematic cell phone use, eating disorders and social anxiety among university students

Ayse Gokce,Ali Ozer

doi:10.12669/pjms.37.4.4124

Abstract

Objective:Problematic cell phone use is common among young age groups which include university students, and may be accompanied by social anxiety and eating disorders. We aimed to examine the relationship between problematic cell phone use, social anxiety and eating disorders among university students.Methods:The universe of this cross-sectional study consists of 28,669 students receiving education at a Inonu University between October 2017 - November 2017. With a confidence interval of 95% and power of 80%, the sample size was calculated to be 308. The survey forms used in the study included students’ sociodemographic characteristics, data regarding cell phone usage, Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and Eating Attitudes Test. The statistical analyses were conducted using Student t, One Way ANOVA, Spearman Correlation Test and Binomial Logistic Regression Analysis.Results:The students in the study group demonstrated a 46.1% rate of problematic cell phone use. The students’ Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale total scores showed a significant correlation with smoking, and daily duration and purpose of cell phone use (p<0.05).Conclusion:University students demonstrate high rates of problematic cell phone use; in addition, individuals who use cell phones for increased hours or for certain purposes display higher total scores on the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale. Students should be educated on limiting problematic cell phone use.

Highlights

Due to the rapid advancement in technology throughout the prior years, cell phones have become essential for daily tasks both in our country and around the world
Twenty-eight-point two percent of students stated that their cell phone usage was eight hours or more
In a 2013 study done with students from a faculty of education, it was found that 34.3% of students used their cell phones for three hours or more daily.[7]

Summary

Introduction

Due to the rapid advancement in technology throughout the prior years, cell phones have become essential for daily tasks both in our country and around the world. According to the 2018 report of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TSI), 97.8% of households contained smartphones in the year 2017, with this rate reaching 98.7% in 2018.1 There are very few households that do not. Problematic cell phone use is defined as the inability of an individual to limit their cell phone use despite the detrimental effects it increases.[4] Many studies have reported the widespread problematic cell phone use among university students to be an increasingly significant public health concern that causes a decline in the functionality of students due to addiction. The relationship between problematic cell phone use and social anxiety has been examined in several studies. There are limited studies on the correlation between problematic use, social anxiety and eating disorders. The goal of this study was to examine problematic cell phone use and its relationship with social anxiety and eating disorders among university students

Methods

Results

Conclusion