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Mediation

Smartphone Addiction Linked to Decreased Psychological Wellbeing in Adolescents

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A recent study published in the Health and Quality of Life Outcomes journal has investigated the relationship between smartphone addiction (SA) and psychological wellbeing (PW) among adolescents. The researchers used a three-wave longitudinal design to examine the mediating role of psychological flexibility (PF) and emotion regulation (ER) in the relationship between SA and PW. The study included 448 adolescents who responded to questionnaires in three waves, with data showing that SA was negatively associated with PW, PF, and ER skills.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that SA was negatively associated with PW, PF, and ER skills among adolescents, with those who used their smartphones for more than four hours daily having higher SA scores and lower PW, ER, and PF scores.
  • The researchers identified PF and ER as key mediating variables in the relationship between SA and PW, with SA negatively predicting PW over time.
  • The findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving PF and ER skills could be effective in alleviating SA-related mental health problems in adolescents.
  • Strengthening PF and ER skills separately or simultaneously could increase the effectiveness of treatment approaches.

Statistics:

  • The study included 448 adolescents (49.8% female and 50.2% male; Rangeage = 15-19, Mage = 16.76, SDage = 1.12).
  • The adolescents used a 50-item questionnaire consisting of the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), the Five-Dimensional Well-Being Scale for Adolescents (EPOCH), the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory Short Form (MPFI-SF), and the Regulation of Emotions Questionnaire (REQ).
  • The study found that SA at T1 negatively predicted PW at T3 (b = -0.34, p < 0.001).

Sources:

  • "The Role of Psychological Flexibility and Emotion Regulation in the Relationship Between Smartphone Addiction and Psychological Wellbeing in Adolescents: Three-Wave Longitudinal Serial Mediation Study" by Ahmet Alkal et al., published in Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2025, 23(1):1-15.
  • Health and Quality of Life Outcomes (http://www.hqlo.com/).
  • BMC (publisher for Health and Quality of Life Outcomes).

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