Department of Community Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
PLoS One. 2021 Jun 15;16(6):e0251479. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251479. eCollection 2021.
Smart devices (SDs) are widely used among adolescents. Numerous studies have recommended further research on this topic to find out the prevalence of SD overuse among school students and to what extent this is associated with psychological distress. The present study aimed to investigate the pattern of SD use among secondary and high school students in the state of Kuwait, as well as the possible associations with psychological problems, weight, physical activity, and school performance.
The correlational study design aimed to survey students from public schools by using a questionnaire and valid instruments, which included: Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) and Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Scale-(DASS-21). Pearson's correlation coefficient, t-tests, one-way ANOVA were applied to find associations or significant differences between the categorical variables, in which p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
The study included 1,993 students from secondary schools (48.9%) and high schools (51.1%), of which 47.5% were male and 52.5% were female. There were significant statistical differences in the pattern of use of SDs, addiction to SD use, stress, anxiety, and depression according to gender, school type, school performance, and sport engagement. In addition, there were positive correlations between students' addiction to SD use and stress, anxiety, and depression.
The findings suggest that excessive SD use is associated with addiction among secondary and high school students. In addition, levels of stress, anxiety, and depression differ according to the number of hours of SD use. Strategies should be developed at the community and school levels to avoid the overuse of SDs among school-aged students.
智能设备（SD）在青少年中广泛使用。许多研究建议对此主题进行进一步研究，以了解学生中 SD 过度使用的流行程度，以及这种情况与心理困扰的关联程度。本研究旨在调查科威特中学生使用 SD 的模式，以及与心理问题、体重、身体活动和学业成绩的可能关联。
相关性研究设计旨在通过使用问卷和有效的工具来调查公立学校的学生，包括：智能手机成瘾量表-短版（SAS-SV）和压力、焦虑和抑郁量表-（DASS-21）。应用 Pearson 相关系数、t 检验、单因素方差分析来寻找分类变量之间的关联或显著差异，其中 p<0.05 被认为具有统计学意义。
该研究包括来自中学（48.9%）和高中（51.1%）的 1993 名学生，其中 47.5%为男性，52.5%为女性。根据性别、学校类型、学业成绩和运动参与情况，SD 使用模式、对 SD 使用的成瘾、压力、焦虑和抑郁存在显著的统计学差异。此外，学生对 SD 使用的成瘾与压力、焦虑和抑郁呈正相关。
研究结果表明，SD 的过度使用与中学生的成瘾有关。此外，根据 SD 使用时间的长短，压力、焦虑和抑郁的水平也有所不同。应在社区和学校层面制定策略，避免学龄学生过度使用 SD。
