Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Global Health Interdisciplinary Unit, Center for the Promotion of Interdisciplinary Education and Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
PLoS One. 2020 Sep 8;15(9):e0238459. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238459. eCollection 2020.
Smartphone addiction is a growing social problem with adverse health outcomes. There are few comparative studies in Asia that examine factors associated with smartphone addiction. The current study aimed to address this research gap by presenting a comparative analysis of factors associated with smartphone addiction in Japan and Thailand, two countries heterogeneous in both their level of economic development and culture.
Participant data were collected using two population-based surveys. Participants were high school students in grade 11, aged 16-17 years old, and were selected using quota sampling in Japan in 2014 and random sampling in Thailand in 2016. The outcome of interest was smartphone addiction, measured using a modified version of the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with smartphone addiction (gender; nationality; family connectedness; and average time spent on smartphone per day).
This study included a total of 7694 students, 6585 students from Japan and 1109 students from Thailand. The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 35.9% among Thai students and 12% among Japanese students. Thai students were more likely to have smartphone addiction than Japanese students (AOR 2.76; 95% CI: 2.37-3.30). Being female was associated with increased odds of smartphone addiction in both Japanese (AOR 1.53; 95% CI: 1.32-1.78) and Thai students (AOR 1.34; 95% CI: 1.01-1.78). The parental connectedness variables "my parents noticed when I was unhappy" (AOR 0.77; 95% CI: 0.62-0.96) and "my parents noticed when I did something good" (AOR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.61-0.99) were associated with lower odds of smartphone addiction among Japanese students.
Smartphone addiction was more prevalent among Thai adolescents than Japanese adolescents, and more prevalent among females than males in both countries. Interventions for reducing smartphone addiction should take into account both context and gender, and should leverage the protective effect of parental connectedness.
智能手机成瘾是一个日益严重的社会问题，会对健康产生不良影响。亚洲很少有比较研究检查与智能手机成瘾相关的因素。本研究旨在通过对日本和泰国这两个在经济发展水平和文化方面存在差异的国家与智能手机成瘾相关因素的比较分析来填补这一研究空白。
参与者数据通过两项基于人群的调查收集。参与者是年龄在 16-17 岁的 11 年级高中生，在 2014 年日本使用配额抽样，2016 年泰国使用随机抽样进行选择。感兴趣的结果是智能手机成瘾，使用互联网成瘾青少年诊断问卷的改良版进行测量。使用多因素逻辑回归分析确定与智能手机成瘾相关的因素（性别；国籍；家庭联系；每天平均花在智能手机上的时间）。
本研究共纳入 7694 名学生，其中 6585 名来自日本，1109 名来自泰国。泰国学生智能手机成瘾的患病率为 35.9%，日本学生为 12%。与日本学生相比，泰国学生更有可能出现智能手机成瘾（调整后的比值比 2.76；95%置信区间：2.37-3.30）。在日本和泰国学生中，女性均与智能手机成瘾的可能性增加相关（日本：调整后的比值比 1.53；95%置信区间：1.32-1.78；泰国：调整后的比值比 1.34；95%置信区间：1.01-1.78）。“当我不开心时，我的父母会注意到”（调整后的比值比 0.77；95%置信区间：0.62-0.96）和“当我做了好事时，我的父母会注意到”（调整后的比值比 0.78；95%置信区间：0.61-0.99）这两个父母联系变量与日本学生智能手机成瘾的可能性降低相关。
与日本青少年相比，泰国青少年的智能手机成瘾更为普遍，且在两国青少年中，女性比男性更普遍。减少智能手机成瘾的干预措施应考虑到背景和性别，并利用父母联系的保护作用。
