Exploring Problematic Mobile Phone Attachment and Associations to Anxiety and Inhibitory Control After a Short-Term Smartphone Separation

This study investigates problematic smartphone attachment under conditions of short-term smartphone separation. Two experimental studies with randomized group allocation were designed to investigate effects of smartphone separation on anxiety and inhibitory control. Problematic smartphone use pathways were explored using a self-report measure. In the first experiment (N= ۸۵) smartphone addicted participants showed an increase in state anxiety after ۲۰ min of separation from their smartphones compared to a control group of non-addicted participants. There was no evidence for impaired inhibitory control based on a period of smartphone separation. In the second experiment the methodology was slightly varied, and the participants (N= ۹۵) were provided with a task during a smartphone separation of ۱۵ min. This led to a reduction of state anxiety for problematic attached participants but did not result in a change for unproblematic attached participants. Problematic attached participants showed a larger disturbance in inhibitory control undergoing a separation period than unproblematic attached participants. Moreover, the results provide supplementary evidence for the existence of specific problematic smartphone attachment pathways and further variables.

کلیدواژه ها:

anxiety ، inhibitory control ، problematic mobile phone use ، Smartphone addiction ، smartphone separation