Department of Communication, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Front Public Health. 2022 Apr 14;10:834835. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.834835. eCollection 2022.
The current study examined antecedents and possible consequences of smartphone use disorder (SmUD). In particular, we aimed to increase the understanding of the interplay of SmUD, mental health, and physical symptoms. Studies found that SmUD is associated with diverse psychological and physical health impairments, ranging from depression and anxiety to headaches and sleep disturbances. Based on existing works, we assumed that mental problems mediate the relationship between SmUD and bodily problems. We conducted a cross-sectional random-quota online survey among 938 German smartphone owners aged 14 to 64 years. An instrument based on the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was used to measure SmUD severity. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. We identified a rate of 4.0% potentially disordered users. Males and younger participants showed more signs of SmUD. As expected, SmUD severity was found to be associated with physical (more frequent headaches, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal problems) as well as psychological (higher levels of loneliness, stress, depression/anxiety) health impairments. Investigating the interplay of these variables showed that depression and anxiety, and stress partially mediated the relationship between SmUD severity and physical symptoms. Taken together, our results confirm that increased SmUD severity is associated with mental problems as well as with somatic symptoms. We assume complex (and presumably circular) relationships, which future studies should examine in more detail. SmUD prevention and intervention programs should follow a broad approach that considers decreases in physical and mental health, possibly causing or resulting from SmUD.
本研究考察了智能手机使用障碍（SmUD）的前因和可能后果。特别是，我们旨在更深入地了解 SmUD、心理健康和身体症状之间的相互作用。研究发现，SmUD 与各种心理和身体健康障碍有关，从抑郁和焦虑到头痛和睡眠障碍。基于现有研究，我们假设心理健康问题在 SmUD 与身体问题之间起中介作用。我们在德国对年龄在 14 至 64 岁之间的 938 名智能手机拥有者进行了一项基于横断面随机配额的在线调查。采用基于《精神障碍诊断与统计手册》第 5 版（DSM-5）的工具来衡量 SmUD 的严重程度。使用结构方程模型对数据进行分析。我们发现 4.0%的智能手机用户可能存在障碍。男性和年轻参与者表现出更多的 SmUD 迹象。正如预期的那样，SmUD 的严重程度与身体（更频繁的头痛、睡眠障碍、胃肠道问题）和心理（更高水平的孤独感、压力、抑郁/焦虑）健康障碍有关。调查这些变量之间的相互作用表明，抑郁和焦虑以及压力部分中介了 SmUD 严重程度与身体症状之间的关系。总之，我们的结果证实，SmUD 严重程度的增加与心理健康问题以及躯体症状有关。我们假设存在复杂的（可能是循环的）关系，这需要未来的研究更详细地探讨。SmUD 的预防和干预计划应采取广泛的方法，考虑到可能由 SmUD 引起或导致的身心健康下降。
