Problematic Smartphone Use and its Relationship with Depression, Anxiety, and Usage Time Among University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19689448Keywords:
Smartphone, Depression, Anxiety, Problematic Use, University Students, Usage Time, Mental HealthAbstract
The present study aims to relate problematic mobile phone use with sociodemographic, mental health, and daily usage variables in Peruvian university students pursuing health-related programs. The sample was studied using bivariate and multivariate analyses to identify predictors of problematic use. The results showed a high prevalence of problematic smartphone use in males and in students with symptoms of depression and anxiety, especially at mild and moderate levels. The multivariate analysis showed that students who used their cell phones for more than 8 hours per day and presented symptoms of depression and anxiety had a significantly higher risk of developing problematic cell phone use; furthermore, high perceived efficiency in cell phone use was significantly associated with this problem. The present research is justified by the increasing prevalence of problematic smartphone use among university students and its potential impact on mental health. The study contributes to both the field of digital communication and health psychology by examining technological, sociodemographic, and emotional variables in an integrated manner. It is concluded that not only is there evidence of digital health problems among university students, but that criteria for intervention are also needed: usage time ?8 hours, presence of mild to moderate anxiety or depression among university students.
References
Agostini, D. y Petrucco, C. (2023). Problematic Smartphone Use and University Students’ Academic Performance. Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, 19(2), 30-38. https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1135747
Al-Hail, M., Zguir, M. F. y Koç, M. (2024). Exploring Digital Learning Opportunities and Challenges in Higher Education Institutes: Stakeholder Analysis on the Use of Social Media for Effective Sustainability of Learning–Teaching–Assessment in a University Setting in Qatar. Sustainability, 16(15), 6413. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156413
Albursan, I. S., Al. Qudah, M. F., Al-Barashdi, H. S., Bakhiet, S. F., Darandari, E., Al-Asqah, S. S., Hammad, H. I., et al. (2022). Smartphone Addiction among University Students in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevalence, Relationship to Academic Procrastination, Quality of Life, Gender and Educational Stage. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(16), 10439. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610439
Aranda López, M., Fuentes Gutiérrez, V. y García-Domingo, M. (2017). “No sin mi Smartphone”: Elaboración y validación de la Escala de Dependencia y Adicción al Smartphone (EDAS). Terapia Psicológica, 35(1), 35-45. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-48082017000100004
Bahagianti Sajidah, A. H., Jayanti, I., Rahman, N. y Yulianto, A. (2024). Differences in Smartphone Addiction between Male and Female Adolescents. Journal of Mental Health Issues and Behavior, 4(4), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.55529/jmhib.44.1.7
Brand, M., Wegmann, E., Stark, R., Müller, A., Wölfling, K., Robbins, T. W. y Potenza, M. N. (2020). The Interaction of Person Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model for addictive behaviors: Update, generalization to addictive behaviors beyond internet-use disorders, and specification of the process character of addictive behaviors. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 104, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.032
Chen, X., Hedman, A., Distler, V. y Koenig, V. (2023). Do persuasive designs make smartphones more addictive? - A mixed-methods study on Chinese university students. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 10, 100299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2023.100299
Cho, S., Lee, S., Woo, H.-J., Ko, Y.-H. y Jeong, K.-H. (2025). Relationship between types of smartphone use among adolescents and smartphone addiction: focusing on gender differences. Journal of Men’s Health, 21(3), 33-43. https://doi.org/10.22514/jomh.2025.034
Choliz, M. (2012). Mobile-phone addiction in adolescence: the test of mobile phone dependence (TMD). Progress in Health Sciences, 2(1), 33-44. https://bit.ly/43EFEDL
Copaja-Corzo, C., Aragón-Ayala, C. J., Taype-Rondan, A. y Nomotest-Group. (2022). Nomophobia and Its Associated Factors in Peruvian Medical Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5006. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095006
de Sousa Paulino, S. B., Mesquita, B., Fraga, A. M., Gomes, H. y Madeira, L. (2023). An initial investigation of the role of depressive and anxious syndromes in Problematic Internet Use in adolescence and young adults. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 17(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2023-1-3
Fan, H., Qi, S., Huang, G. y Xu, Z. (2021). Effect of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Inhibitory Control of College Students with Smartphone Addiction. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2021(1), 5530126. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5530126
Grant, J. E., Lust, K. y Chamberlain, S. R. (2019). Problematic smartphone use associated with greater alcohol consumption, mental health issues, poorer academic performance, and impulsivity. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(2), 335-342. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.32
Griffiths, M. (2005). A ‘components’ model of addiction within a biopsychosocial framework. Journal of Substance Use, 10(4), 191-197. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659890500114359
Guo, N., Luk, T. T., Ho, S. Y., Lee, J. J., Shen, C., Oliffe, J., Chan, S. S.-C., et al. (2020). Problematic Smartphone Use and Mental Health in Chinese Adults: A Population-Based Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 844. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030844
Guo, S., Zou, X., Tao, Y., Lv, Y., Liu, X. y Huang, S. (2025). Gender differences in symptom interactions between problematic smartphone use and social anxiety in adolescents: a network analysis. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 19(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-025-00865-w
Hashemi, S., Ghazanfari, F., Ebrahimzadeh, F., Ghavi, S. y Badrizadeh, A. (2022). Investigate the relationship between cell phone over-use scale with depression, anxiety and stress among university students. BMC Psychiatry, 22(1), 755. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04419-8
Kumban, W., Cetthakrikul, S. y Santiworakul, A. (2025). Smartphone Addiction, Screen Time, and Physical Activity of Different Academic Majors and Study Levels in University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(2), 237. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020237
Kwak, J. H. (2020). A study on the evolution of post-smartphone technologies in the 5G technology environment. KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS), 14(4), 1757-1772. https://doi.org/10.3837/tiis.2020.04.019
Lee, C. E., Chern, H. H. y Azmir, D. A. (2023). WhatsApp Use in a Higher Education Learning Environment: Perspective of Students of a Malaysian Private University on Academic Performance and Team Effectiveness. Education Sciences, 13(3), 244. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030244
Li, W., Cui, Y., Gong, Q., Huang, C. y Guo, F. (2022). The Association of Smartphone Usage Duration with Physical Fitness among Chinese University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 572. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010572
Lu, T., Wang, C., Chen, H., Tao, B., Jiang, Y., Sui, H. y Yan, J. (2022). Relationship between university students’ physical activity and mobile phone dependence: Mediating effect of subjective well-being and moderating effect of psychological capital. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 983487. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.983487
Manfro, P. H., Pereira, R. B., Rosa, M., Cogo-Moreira, H., Fisher, H. L., Kohrt, B. A., Mondelli, V., et al. (2023). Adolescent depression beyond DSM definition: a network analysis. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 32(5), 881-892. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01908-1
Mayerhofer, D., Haider, K., Amon, M., Gächter, A., O’Rourke, T., Dale, R., Humer, E., et al. (2024). The Association between Problematic Smartphone Use and Mental Health in Austrian Adolescents and Young Adults. Healthcare, 12(6), 600. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12060600
Nawaz, S. (2023). Rethinking classifications and metrics for problematic smartphone use and dependence: Addressing the call for reassessment. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 12, 100327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2023.100327
Nowland, R., Necka, E. A. y Cacioppo, J. T. (2018). Loneliness and Social Internet Use: Pathways to Reconnection in a Digital World? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(1), 70-87. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617713052
Olivella-Cirici, M., Garcia-Continente, X., Bartroli Checa, M., Serral Cano, G. y Pérez Albarracín, G. (2023). El uso problemático del teléfono móvil: análisis transversal del perfil individual y factores asociados. Revista Española de Salud Pública, 97, e202305036. https://ojs.sanidad.gob.es/index.php/resp/article/view/115
Randjelovic, P., Stojiljkovic, N., Radulovic, N., Stojanovic, N. y Ilic, I. (2020). Problematic Smartphone Use, Screen Time and Chronotype Correlations in University Students. European Addiction Research, 27(1), 67-74. https://doi.org/10.1159/000506738
Rozgonjuk, D., Levine, J. C., Hall, B. J. y Elhai, J. D. (2020). The association between problematic smartphone use, depression and anxiety symptom severity, and objectively measured smartphone use over one week. Computers in Human Behavior, 87, 10-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.05.019
Seo, H. S., Jeong, E.-K., Choi, S., Kwon, Y., Park, H.-J. y Kim, I. (2020). Changes of Neurotransmitters in Youth with Internet and Smartphone Addiction: A Comparison with Healthy Controls and Changes after Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 41(7), 1293-1301. https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.A6632
Squires, L. R., Hollett, K. B., Hesson, J. y Harris, N. (2020). Psychological Distress, Emotion Dysregulation, and Coping Behaviour: a Theoretical Perspective of Problematic Smartphone Use. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(4), 1284-1299. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00224-0
Subramaniam, M., Koh, Y. S., Sambasivam, R., Samari, E., Abdin, E., Jeyagurunathan, A., Tan, B. C. W., et al. (2024). Problematic smartphone use and mental health outcomes among Singapore residents: The health and lifestyle survey. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 98, 104124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104124
Teo, J. K. H., Chionh, I. Y. L., Bin Shaul Hamed, N. A. y Lai, C. (2023). Problematic Smartphone Usage in Singaporean University Students: An Analysis of Self-Reported Versus Objectively Measured Smartphone Usage Patterns. Healthcare, 11(23), 3033. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11233033
Tomczyk, ?. y Selmanagic Lizde, E. (2023). Is real screen time a determinant of problematic smartphone and social network use among young people? Telematics and Informatics, 82, 101994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.101994
Vally, Z., Alghraibeh, A. M. y Elhai, J. D. (2021). Severity of depression and anxiety in relation to problematic smartphone use in the United Arab Emirates: The mediational roles of rumination and fear of missing out. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3(3), 423-431. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.259
Wang, J., Li, W., Ding, L., y Chen, S. (2022) The Relationship between Duration of Smartphone Uses and Anxiety in University Students during the COVID-19 Outbreak. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19(11), 6620. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116620
Woo, K. S., Bong, S. H., Choi, T. Y. y Kim, J. W. (2021). Mental Health, Smartphone Use Type, and Screen Time Among Adolescents in South Korea. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 14, 1419-1428. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S324235
Zhang, K., Guo, H., Wang, T., Zhang, J., Yuan, G., Ren, J., Zhang, X., et al. (2023). A bidirectional association between smartphone addiction and depression among college students: A cross-lagged panel model. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1083856. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1083856
Zung, W. W. K. (1965). A Self-Rating Depression Scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12(1), 63-70. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1965.01720310065008
Zung, W. W. K. (1971). A Rating Instrument For Anxiety Disorders. Psychosomatics, 12(6), 371-379. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0033-3182(71)71479-0
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Comunicar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
