Is There an Association between Increased Stress and Smartphone Addiction? Insights from a Study on Medical Students from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic
<i>Purpose:</i> Smartphone addiction is prevalent among medical students, and there is a concern that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic fueled a rise in smartphone addiction. Earlier studies suggest a link between excessive smartphone usage and negative outcomes such as de...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Medicina |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/8/1501 |
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| author | Haytham I. AlSaif Zeyad A. Alhozaimi Alhanouf S. Alrashed Kholoud S. Alanazi Mohammed G. Alshibani Turky H. Almigbal Saad M. Alsaad Abdullah A. Alrasheed Fahad D. Alosaimi |
| author_facet | Haytham I. AlSaif Zeyad A. Alhozaimi Alhanouf S. Alrashed Kholoud S. Alanazi Mohammed G. Alshibani Turky H. Almigbal Saad M. Alsaad Abdullah A. Alrasheed Fahad D. Alosaimi |
| author_sort | Haytham I. AlSaif |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Purpose:</i> Smartphone addiction is prevalent among medical students, and there is a concern that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic fueled a rise in smartphone addiction. Earlier studies suggest a link between excessive smartphone usage and negative outcomes such as depression, stress, and reduced academic achievement. However, there is a dearth of both local studies in Saudi Arabia and studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic exploring the prevalence of smartphone addiction and its association with academic performance, depression, and perceived stress, which is the purpose of the current study. <i>Methods:</i> In 2021, a cross-sectional research project took place among medical students at King Saud University and the Vision Colleges located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online self-administered questionnaire consisting of demographic variables, grade point average (GPA), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), and the Smartphone Addiction Scale—Short Version (SAS-SV) was deployed. <i>Results:</i> Three hundred and fifteen students participated. Around 47.9% of students reported smartphone addiction, and the mean SAS-SV score was 32.31 ± 12.01 points. Both PHQ-9 and PSS-4 scores showed a significant positive correlation with the SAS-SV score (r = 0.216, <i>p</i> < 0.001 and r = 247, <i>p</i> < 0.001, respectively), while GPA did not (r = −0.027, <i>p</i> = 0.639). An adjusted analysis showed that the PSS-4 score was positively associated with the SAS-SV score (odds ratio (OR) = 1.206, <i>p</i> < 0.001), while the PHQ-9 score was not (OR = 102, <i>p</i> = 0.285). <i>Conclusions:</i> Smartphone addiction is prevalent among medical students and associated with perceived stress. Additional research is required to gain a deeper comprehension of this issue and to assess the success of intervention initiatives aimed at encouraging healthy smartphone usage, particularly in times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:46:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-daecb67245074422843c41e564548fac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1010-660X 1648-9144 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:46:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicina |
| spelling | doaj.art-daecb67245074422843c41e564548fac2023-11-19T02:07:19ZengMDPI AGMedicina1010-660X1648-91442023-08-01598150110.3390/medicina59081501Is There an Association between Increased Stress and Smartphone Addiction? Insights from a Study on Medical Students from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 PandemicHaytham I. AlSaif0Zeyad A. Alhozaimi1Alhanouf S. Alrashed2Kholoud S. Alanazi3Mohammed G. Alshibani4Turky H. Almigbal5Saad M. Alsaad6Abdullah A. Alrasheed7Fahad D. Alosaimi8Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi ArabiaClinical Sciences Department, College of Medicine, Vision Colleges, Riyadh 13226, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia<i>Purpose:</i> Smartphone addiction is prevalent among medical students, and there is a concern that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic fueled a rise in smartphone addiction. Earlier studies suggest a link between excessive smartphone usage and negative outcomes such as depression, stress, and reduced academic achievement. However, there is a dearth of both local studies in Saudi Arabia and studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic exploring the prevalence of smartphone addiction and its association with academic performance, depression, and perceived stress, which is the purpose of the current study. <i>Methods:</i> In 2021, a cross-sectional research project took place among medical students at King Saud University and the Vision Colleges located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online self-administered questionnaire consisting of demographic variables, grade point average (GPA), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), and the Smartphone Addiction Scale—Short Version (SAS-SV) was deployed. <i>Results:</i> Three hundred and fifteen students participated. Around 47.9% of students reported smartphone addiction, and the mean SAS-SV score was 32.31 ± 12.01 points. Both PHQ-9 and PSS-4 scores showed a significant positive correlation with the SAS-SV score (r = 0.216, <i>p</i> < 0.001 and r = 247, <i>p</i> < 0.001, respectively), while GPA did not (r = −0.027, <i>p</i> = 0.639). An adjusted analysis showed that the PSS-4 score was positively associated with the SAS-SV score (odds ratio (OR) = 1.206, <i>p</i> < 0.001), while the PHQ-9 score was not (OR = 102, <i>p</i> = 0.285). <i>Conclusions:</i> Smartphone addiction is prevalent among medical students and associated with perceived stress. Additional research is required to gain a deeper comprehension of this issue and to assess the success of intervention initiatives aimed at encouraging healthy smartphone usage, particularly in times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/8/1501smartphone addictiondepressionpsychological stressacademic performancemedical studentsSaudi Arabia |
| spellingShingle | Haytham I. AlSaif Zeyad A. Alhozaimi Alhanouf S. Alrashed Kholoud S. Alanazi Mohammed G. Alshibani Turky H. Almigbal Saad M. Alsaad Abdullah A. Alrasheed Fahad D. Alosaimi Is There an Association between Increased Stress and Smartphone Addiction? Insights from a Study on Medical Students from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic Medicina smartphone addiction depression psychological stress academic performance medical students Saudi Arabia |
| title | Is There an Association between Increased Stress and Smartphone Addiction? Insights from a Study on Medical Students from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Is There an Association between Increased Stress and Smartphone Addiction? Insights from a Study on Medical Students from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Is There an Association between Increased Stress and Smartphone Addiction? Insights from a Study on Medical Students from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is There an Association between Increased Stress and Smartphone Addiction? Insights from a Study on Medical Students from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Is There an Association between Increased Stress and Smartphone Addiction? Insights from a Study on Medical Students from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | is there an association between increased stress and smartphone addiction insights from a study on medical students from saudi arabia during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | smartphone addiction depression psychological stress academic performance medical students Saudi Arabia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/8/1501 |
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