The Role of Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety in Predicting Problematic Smartphone Use in School Students

Aim: The present research aimed to investigate the role of self-esteem and social anxiety in predicting problematic smartphone use (PSU) in middle school and high school students.Methods: This research was of descriptive-correlational type. The research statistical population included all male and female secondary school students in the city of Kazerun in the academic year ۲۰۲۲-۲۰۲۳. The research sample consisted of ۳۳۳ students selected and assessed using a cluster sampling method. The Cell-Phone Over-Use Scale (COS), the Social Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ), and the Self-Esteem Scale (SES) were used to measure the research variables. Research data were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation coefficient and multiple regression methods.Results: The research results indicated that self-esteem and social anxiety symptoms were correlated with PSU (P>۰.۰۵). On the other hand, the multiple regression analysis results demonstrated that ۵۵% of PSU was explained by self-esteem and social anxiety. Moreover, according to the data analysis results, self-esteem was negatively and inversely related to PSU in such a way that by decreasing the self-esteem score, the amount of PSU increased.Conclusion: These findings denote that self-esteem and social anxiety play a substantial role in predicting PSU in students. Given that PSU is a serious problem that profoundly affects mental health, it is suggested that early intervention is essential in order to strengthen self-esteem and relieve social anxiety.

کلیدواژه ها:

Problematic Smartphone Use ، social anxiety ، Self-esteem