The relationship among anxiety, depression, and problematic smartphone use in university students: the mediating effect of psychological inflexibility

摘要

Objective: The number of studies that reveal the relationship between problematic smartphone use and various health problems is increasing. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship among problematic smartphone use, depression, and anxiety and the mediating effect of psychological inflexibility in this relationship in university students. Methods: This study was conducted with 412 university students between the ages of 18-35 studying at a state university. All participants completed the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. PROCESS macro in SPSS was used for mediation analysis. Results: Our analyses showed that both depression and anxiety were independent predictors of problematic smartphone use even after controlling for each other. Our findings show that psychological inflexibility is the mediator variable in the effect of depression and anxiety on problematic smartphone use. Conclusion: Programs to reduce psychological inflexibility in university students can help reduce the risk of problematic smartphone use.