The Role of Chronic Stress Level and Resilience in Excessive Mobile Phone Use by Students

The use of mobile phones among children has major effects on their health. Excessive and unrestricted use of mobile phones can contribute to various physical and psychological problems. Physically, children who spend excessive time on their phones often lead sedentary lifestyles, which can result in weight gain, obesity, and related health issues. Additionally, poor posture while using mobile phones can lead to musculoskeletal problems, causing discomfort and pain in the neck, back, and shoulders. The study objectives were i) to investigate the awareness level among parents regarding the potential health effects of excessive mobile phone use on children, ii) to examine the perception and attitudes of parents towards the use of children's mobile phones and its adverse effects on children's health as well as study the factors influencing parents decision regarding use of children mobile phone, and iii) to explore the knowledge gap among parents regarding the recommended guidelines for managing children's mobile phone usage. For this study, 280 parents were selected as respondents through a multistage sampling technique. At the first stage, 4 urban union councils (UC # 7 "Block–H", UC # 9 "Block–5", UC # 12 "Khayaban–e–Sarwar", and UC # 16 "Model Town") out of a total of 7 union councils were chosen using a simple random sampling method. At the second stage, 8 localities (two from each union council) were selected through a simple random sampling procedure. At third stage, 35 parents (as respondents) were selected from each locality using a purposive sampling technique. The results indicated that majority of parents (60.7%) were female , were age bunch from 31-40 years (52.5%), said their education was matriculation to upto graduation level (53.6%), were married (98.9%), and having 1–3 children (52.9%) were housewives (48.9%). The results also depicted majority (70.0%) of respondents said their household monthly income was 20,000– upto 50,000 rupees, parents' replied upto 6 hours spent their children to use mobile phone in a day (68.9%), parents sometimes allowed their children to use mobile phone in free time (77.9%) and sometimes allowed their children to use mobile phone in childhood (68.9%). Data regarding various purpose their children use mobile phone i.e. majority (71.4%) of the respondents said that children often use mobile phone for playing games; movies (47.9%); cartoons (55.0%); DIY crafts (49.6%); animated stories (54.3%); motivational content (49.3%); and educational Apps (48.9%). The results indicated that majority of parents (83.9%) were agreed that excessive mobile phone utilization cause neurological (mental health) issues in youngsters', mobile phone helped their child to stay organized (80.0%), mobile phone use likely obstruction with parent-kid association (78.2%) and empowering age-fitting substance and applications for youngsters deal with kids' cell phone utilization (85.3%). The bivariate analysis hypothesis showed that more hours spend by children on mobile phone in a day had significant relationship between more the risk of neurological (brain development) problems (χ2 = 33.882, p < .006). More hours spend by children on mobile phone in a day had significant correlation between more the potential interference with parent-child interaction (χ2 = 30.376, p < .016). Parents more allow to use mobile phone children's in free time had significant association between lower the children stay organized (χ2 = 21.748, p < .005). Parents more allow to use mobile phone children's in childhood had highly significant relationship between lower encourage age-appropriate content and apps to manage children's mobile phone usage (χ2 = 25.726, p < .001). The study was suggested that parents should be monitoring apps and games children download manage children’s mobile phone usage.

Background: The excessive mobile phones use is a common problem among students, so it is necessary to identify this phenomenon’s relevant factors in each university for appropriate planning. Objectives: The study aim was to determine the prevalence of excessive mobile phone use and its relationship with mental health status and demographic factors on the students of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences in 2011 - 2012. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all 700 students in the university were surveyed and completed demographic information form, GHQ-28, mobile phone addiction scale (MPAI). The data were analyzed in SPSS-18 software and by Chi-square test, student t-test and ANOVA were used at the significant level of P 0.05), and also somatization (P 0.05). Conclusions: According to rather high prevalence of excessive use of mobile phone and existence of significant relation between the prevalence of excessive mobile phone use and mental health problems, it is recommended to improve their mental health status and acceptable social relationship instead of dependency on mobile phone use that can inreturn reduce the negative effects of excessive mobile phone use.

Excessive mobile phone use has become an integral component of daily life, yet its musculoskeletal consequences particularly on the cervical spine are increasingly concerned. Prolonged neck flexion while texting or browsing places abnormal biomechanical stress on cervical vertebrae, intervertebral discs, ligaments, and paraspinal muscles. Over time, these repetitive micro-traumas can accelerate degenerative changes, including disc desiccation, osteophyte formation, facet joint arthropathy, and altered cervical curvature. With the rising global burden of neck pain and digital device dependency, understanding the prevalence of cervical spine degeneration in high-risk users is essential for early prevention, clinical screening, and ergonomic interventions. Objective:To determine the prevalence of cervical spine degenerative changes associated with excessive mobile phone use and to evaluate the relationship between duration, posture habits, and severity of radiological degeneration among adult smartphone users. Methodology:This cross-sectional study was conducted in Sughra Shafi Medcial Complex Narowal from January 2024 to September 2024 over a period of nine months among adult participants aged 18–55 years who were regular mobile phone users. A structured questionnaire assessed demographic characteristics, daily duration of mobile phone use, habitual neck flexion angle, ergonomic awareness, and presence of neck pain or stiffness. Participants were categorized into three groups based on daily usage: moderate use (<3 hours/day), high use (3–6 hours/day), and excessive use (>6 hours/day). Cervical spine radiographs (lateral and AP views) were performed to evaluate degenerative parameters including disc space narrowing, osteophyte formation, loss of cervical lordosis, facet joint arthropathy, and alignment abnormalities. Degeneration severity was graded using a standardized radiological scoring system. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to assess associations between mobile phone use and radiographic findings.   Results:A total of 300 participants were included, comprising 135 males (45%) and 165 females (55%), with a mean age of 32.4 ± 8.6 years. Excessive mobile phone use (>6 hours/day) was reported in 41% of the study population. The overall prevalence of cervical spine degeneration was 54%, with a markedly higher prevalence in the excessive-use group (72%) compared to the high-use (49%) and moderate-use (28%) groups (p < 0.01). Among males, 58% demonstrated radiological degeneration, while 51% of females showed degenerative changes; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The most frequent radiological abnormalities were loss of cervical lordosis (46%), disc space narrowing (38%), and anterior osteophyte formation (21%). Neck pain was reported in 63% of individuals with radiographic degeneration (p < 0.05). Prolonged daily usage and habitual neck flexion angles greater than 30 degrees showed a strong positive association with higher cervical degeneration scores. Conclusion:Excessive mobile phone use is significantly associated with a higher prevalence of cervical spine degenerative changes. Radiological evidence of early degeneration is common even in young adults with prolonged device use. Public health awareness, ergonomic education, and posture-correcting interventions are essential to mitigate long-term cervical spine morbidity in the digital age.

BackgroundLow birth weight has been shown to be closely associated with neonatal mortality and morbidity, inhibited growth, poor cognitive development, and chronic diseases later in life. Some studies have also shown that excessive mobile phone use in the postnatal period may lead to behavioral complications in the children during their growing years; however, the relationship between mobile phone use during pregnancy and neonatal birth weight is not clear. The aim of the present study was to determine the associations of excessive mobile phone use with neonatal birth weight and infant health status.MethodsA sample of 461 mother and child pairs participated in a survey on maternal characteristics, infant characteristics, and maternal mobile phone usage information during pregnancy.ResultsOur results showed that pregnant women tend to excessively use mobile phones in Japan. The mean infant birth weight was lower in the excessive use group than in the ordinary use group, and the frequency of infant emergency transport was significantly higher in the excessive use group than in the ordinary use group.ConclusionsExcessive mobile phone use during pregnancy may be a risk factor for lower birth weight and a high rate of infant emergency transport.

Background: While the growth of communications and technology has provided opportunities in various fields, such as speeding up work and reducing distances, it can also pose a threat. Dependence on mobile phones can lead to a sense of loneliness and undesirable social support. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between excessive use of mobile phones and social loneliness in the student community. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted using cluster sampling on 384 students of Shahroud University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Data were collected using demographic information questionnaires, the Harmful Use of Mobile Phones Scale, and the Adult Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale. After collection, the data were entered into SPSS18 and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: The results showed that the total mean of the emotional and social loneliness questionnaire was 34.31 ± 8.98. An inverse relationship was observed in all areas of loneliness, except for family loneliness, with excessive use of mobile phones. Only the inverse correlation between excessive use of mobile phones and romantic loneliness was statistically significant. A positive and strong correlation was observed between excessive use of mobile phones and depression score. There was an inverse relationship between the social loneliness score and factors such as student age, educational level, marital status, birth order, mother's age and years of education, father's age, father's years of education, and excessive use of mobile phones. Additionally, there was an inverse relationship between excessive use of mobile phones and marital status with students' loneliness; as mobile phone use increased, the feeling of loneliness decreased, and as students' status changed from single to married, the feeling of loneliness also decreased. Conclusions: Given the relationship between some subgroups of social loneliness and demographic variables with mobile phone use, researchers and psychotherapists should control these factors to improve the quality of life and mental health of students.

A socio-cognitive inquiry of excessive mobile phone use

Brain behavioral systems, self-control and problematic mobile phone use: The moderating role of gender and history of use

Mobile phone use brings convenience to people's social communication and leisurely experience. While excessive mobile phone use also leads to problematic mobile phone use such as mobile phone addiction and nomophobia which has serious harm. For college students who have just entered college, the adaptability to college life and the level of adult attachment might affect mobile phone use. Therefore, it is necessary to study the relationships among mobile phone use, adaptability and adult attachment among college students in China. The data in this article could help researchers explore the mechanism between the mobile phone use, adaptability and adult attachment and had a deeper comprehension to the impact factor of mobile phone use among college students in China. Dataset provided in this article included 673 college students recruited from different grades in Tianjin Normal University. Among the participants, there were 138 males (20.5%) and 535 females. Fifty participants completed their questionnaires as a paper-pencil version in a classroom, there were 389 participants completed paper-pencil version in total and other 284 participants completed online surveys through the Wen Juan Xing App (https://www.wjx.cn). They took Nomophobia Scale for Chinese (NMP-C), Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS), Freshmen Adaptation Inventory (FAI) and Chinese of Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory (ECR-C) to measure college students’ mobile phone use, adaptability and adult attachment in China, the missing values of these items were imputed by EM method due to the missing values were missing completely at random(MCAR). All the instruments for data collection were in the Chinese version. In addition, a .csv file consists of major variables we used were included as a supplementary material on the Zenodo Repository [1]. We used SPSS to perform descriptive statistical analysis and MPLUS to carry out lasso regression analysis with the collected data. For a discussion of the findings based on the dataset please see the article: The effect of college students’ adaptability on nomophobia based on lasso regression [2].

This study investigates the relationship between students' mental health (MH) and mobile phone addiction (MPA), addressing growing concerns about the impact of excessive phone use on school-age children. Using a quantitative research approach, data was collected through a standardized questionnaire and analyzed using Cronbach's Alpha, Composite Reliability (CR), Average Variance Extracted (AVE), and factor loadings to ensure construct validity and reliability. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the impact of MPA on MH. The findings reveal that mobile phone addiction significantly explains 61.5% of the variance in mental health (R² = 0.615), with a strong positive association between MPA and mental health issues (β = 0.784, p = 0.000). This indicates that excessive mobile phone use negatively affects students' mental health, potentially leading to stress, anxiety, and poor academic performance. The study highlights the need for digital wellness initiatives and interventions to promote responsible phone use and reduce screen time. Focusing specifically on school-level teenagers contributes to understanding the psychological and academic consequences of MPA, offering valuable insights for policymakers, parents, and educational institutions. The results underscore the importance of fostering mindful phone usage to safeguard students' mental well-being. Future research should explore long-term effects and develop targeted strategies to mitigate the adverse impacts of mobile phone addiction. This study emphasizes the urgency of addressing MPA to support healthier mental and academic outcomes for students.

The aim of this paper is to present a review of the medical studies on problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) and determine whether cell phone addiction really exists. The Medline database was reviewed for medical articles on PMPU. The following phrases have been used for this purpose: "cell-phone addiction", "problematic mobile phone use", "smartphone dependence", "excessive mobile phone use". The authors focused on medical articles published in 1979, 1983 and between 1992 and 2018 that fulfil the following criteria: 1) review papers, 2) retrospective and prospective studies, 3) clinical reports on epidemiology, risk factors, symptomatology, neuroimaging, comorbidity with other mental disorders (including other behavioural addictions) as well as therapy of PMPU. Review of literature: It is advisable that scientific literature avoid the term "cell phone/smartphone addiction" in favour of more adequate terms like:

Background and objective Mobile phones have become an essential part and parcel of modern life. Some of the studies have shown potentially adverse consequences of excessive mobile phone use. Aim of this study was to explore the pattern of mobile phone use among young adults and evaluate the mobile phone use pattern on the substance dependence criteria and assess the adverse consequences of mobile phone use. Materials and methods A 46-item questionnaire based on the ICD-10 substance dependence syndrome criteria, CAGE questionnaire and keeping the possible adverse consequences of excessive use in mind was given to the participants. Results A total of 212 young adults with a mean age of 21.6 years participated in the study. About one-third of the participants met three or more of the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for substance dependence and more than half (57.1%) fulfilled two or more items on the CAGE questionnaire. Those who fulfilled the dependence criteria spent more time per day on the mobile phone and more frequently had harmful consequences on various aspects of life. Conclusion Excessive mobile phone use is associated with adverse consequences in different spheres of life and some subjects use it in dependent pattern. How to cite this article Nehra R, Kate N, Grover S, Khehra N, Basu D. Does the Excessive use of Mobile Phones in Young Adults Reflect an Emerging Behavioral Addiction? J Postgrad Med Edu Res 2012;46(4):177-182.

Excessive mobile phone use has gained attention in the media recently, where it has been associated with driving fatalities and productivity decrements as well as social embarrassment. To provide successful interventions, there is a need to understand why some mobile phone owners can't resist the urge to use their devices. Much prior research has investigated excessive use through the perspective of technology addiction. In the current study we digress from that perspective, and investigate deficient self-regulation as a possible lens to explain excessive mobile phone use and its associated negative consequences. Surveys were used for data collection (n=266). A Partial Least Squares analysis of Anxiety, Boredom, Deficient Self-Regulation, Habit and Mobile phone use (MPU) combined to explain Negative Consequences associated with MPU with 62.8% variance explained. The findings provide evidence on the role of deficient self-regulation in excessive MPU and provide useful insights about appropriate interventions.

Background and objectivesWork addiction (WA), characterized by dimensions such as overcommitment, difficulties in detachment from work, and work-life imbalance, is presumed to be associated with increased smartphone usage, even during risky activities like driving. The study investigated the connection between WA and future problematic and hazardous smartphone use, considering personality factors: anxiety, rumination, and worry.MethodsA three-wave longitudinal study (N = 1,866) was conducted from March to July 2019, June to September 2020, and June to November 2021, involving a representative sample of 18-34-year-old residents in Hungary's capital. The study employed Hungarian versions of the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire, Ruminative Response Scale, Anxiety subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory 18, and Penn-State Worry Questionnaire. Additionally, author-developed questions on mobile phone use while driving were included.ResultsAt baseline, those at risk for WA showed more frequent mobile phone use while driving at both time points 2 and 3 compared to the non-risk group. Path analyses revealed rumination, anxiety at time 1, and worry at time 2 as significant mediators between baseline WA and mobile phone use while driving at time 3. However, when analyzing all three mediators together, only anxiety at time 1 and worry at time 2 remained significant.Discussion and conclusionThis study demonstrates that WA predicts future mobile phone use while driving through mediation by anxiety and worry. Our findings add to the growing evidence highlighting the detrimental aspects of WA, emphasizing the need for improved prevention and treatment strategies.

ABSTRACTConcerns about health problems due to the increasing use of mobile phones are growing. Excessive use of mobile phones can affect the quality of sleep as one of the important issues in the health literature and general health of people. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between the excessive use of mobile phones and general health and quality of sleep on 450 Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) students in five universities of medical sciences in the North East of Iran in 2014. To achieve this objective, special questionnaires that included Cell Phone Overuse Scale, Pittsburgh’s Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were used, respectively. In addition to descriptive statistical methods, independent t-test, Pearson correlation, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression tests were performed. The results revealed that half of the students had a poor level of sleep quality and most of them were considered unhealthy. The Pearson correlation co-efficient indicated a significant association between the excessive use of mobile phones and the total score of general health and the quality of sleep. In addition, the results of the multiple regression showed that the excessive use of mobile phones has a significant relationship between each of the four subscales of general health and the quality of sleep. Furthermore, the results of the multivariate regression indicated that the quality of sleep has a simultaneous effect on each of the four scales of the general health. Overall, a simultaneous study of the effects of the mobile phones on the quality of sleep and the general health could be considered as a trigger to employ some intervention programs to improve their general health status, quality of sleep and consequently educational performance.

Smartphone addiction is a type of addiction that has started to gain importance among behavioral addictions in recent years and has not yet been diagnostically classified. In this review, it is aimed to bring together the results of studies on the psychological harms of smartphone addiction and to determine what kind of psychological harm smartphone addiction related. This research was conducted with the systematic review method. Systematic review is the synthesis and presentation of many studies conducted by experts in the field with similar methods in a qualified and organized manner. The keywords "smartphone addiction" "mobile phone addiction", "problematic mobile phone use", "excessive mobile phone use", "psychological effect" and "psychological symptoms" were reviewed in July 2023. The fact that the articles must have been published in 2019-2023. In the research, articles written in Turkish and English were examined. In the databases during this initial review, the main sources of information for this study were selected using certain criteria for including and excluding data. A total of twelve research articles were examined. As a result, it was found that there is a relationship between smartphone addiction/problematic smartphone use and psychopathological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, neuroticism, eating disorders, insomnia and psychological effects such as stress, feeling sad, aggression, appearance anxiety, and loneliness. The findings are discussed within the scope of the relevant literature.