2022 Volume 72 Issue 1 Pages 71-78
Objective: This study aimed to clarify levels of interpersonal stress related to smartphone addiction among health care college students.
Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 320 third- and fourth-year students at a health care college. The survey comprised the following content: 1) smartphone usage time and frequently used apps; 2) The smartphone addiction scale - short version (SAS-SV); 3) the stress response scale (SRS-18); 4) the interpersonal stress coping scale - short version.
Results: 178 valid responses were analyzed. Fifty-seven respondents (32.0％) were dependent on smartphones. 57.0％ of respondents spent three or more hours per day using their smartphones. The most frequently used app was social media. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p<.001) in terms of the mean psychological stress response, 18.1 points in the dependent group and 10.9 points in the non-dependent group. The subscales of psychological stress response all scored significantly higher in the dependent group than in the independent group: depression/anxiety, displeasure/anger, and apathy. There was no significant difference in interpersonal stress coping between the dependent and non-dependent groups.
Discussion: Although interpersonal stress was not related to smartphone addiction, students with a tendency toward smartphone addiction had higher levels of psychological stress, highlighting the importance of learning methods to alleviate stress for students in this group.
