The relationship between smartphone use for communication, social capital, and subjective well-being in Korean adolescents: Verification using multiple latent growth modeling

Abstract

The aim of this study is to test the relationship between smartphone use for communication, social capital, and subjective well-being using a multivariate latent growth modeling. The study used data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey. Participants were 2110 teenagers in the 5th year of elementary school (1086 males, 1024 females; Mean age = 10.98 years [SD = 0.18 years]) who were followed over three years. Results of this study indicated that smartphone use for communication had a positive impact on subjective well-being in the first wave; however, smartphone use for communication did not affect subjective well-being over time. More smartphone use for communication was related to greater social capital over time, and greater social capital was associated with greater subjective well-being over time. Especially, smartphone use for communication affected subjective well-being fully mediating social capital. The contribution of this research was to verify the mechanisms of how smartphone usage enhances subjective well-being in early adolescence through a longitudinal design.