Friday, 30 August 2019

Problematic smartphone usage and subjective and psychological well-being

an article by Sharon Horwood and Jeromy Anglim (Deakin University, Australia) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 97 (August 2019)

Highlights
  • Problematic smartphone use is associated with lower well-being.
  • Autonomy is negatively associated with problematic smartphone use.
  • Negative affect is positively associated with problematic smartphone use.
  • Reducing smartphone use could be a targeted intervention in clinical settings.
Abstract

Despite a growing awareness that problematic usage of smartphones is becoming a significant public health issue, there is limited research on how problematic smartphone usage relates to the humanistic concepts of well-being, particularly those captured in Ryff's six psychological well-being dimensions: positive relations, autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, and self-acceptance.

The current study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between general and problematic smartphone usage and subjective well-being and psychological well-being using long-form, theoretically grounded measures. Australian adults (n = 539, 79% female; age in years M = 25.1, SD = 7.8) completed Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale, the PANAS, and Ryff's 84-item measure of psychological well-being.

Results showed that problematic smartphone usage was correlated with lower well-being on almost all scales. In particular, negative affect, autonomy, and environmental mastery had the largest negative correlations with problematic smartphone usage. Given the stable and dispositional nature of well-being, it seems likely that much of the relationship is driven by a common underlying tendency to experience anxiety, negative emotions, and a lack of control, combined with a tendency to engage in maladaptive coping and compulsive behavior.

Hazel’s comment:
I was not sure about “problematic smartphone usage”. Just in case you are also a little confused then Wikipedia has an article you may find useful together with links to other information about the effect of problematic usage on your mental health.




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