Gender differences in factors associated with smartphone addiction: a cross-sectional study among medical college students

BackgroundSmartphones are becoming increasingly indispensable in everyday life for most undergraduates in China, and this has been associated with problematic use or addiction. The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of smartphone addiction and the associated factors in male and female undergraduates.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 and included 1441 undergraduate students at Wannan Medical College, China. The Smartphone Addiction Scale short version (SAS-SV) was used to assess smartphone addiction among the students, using accepted cut-offs. Participants’ demographic, smartphone usage, and psycho-behavioral data were collected. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to seek associations between smartphone addiction and independent variables among the males and females, separately.ResultsThe prevalence of smartphone addiction among participants was 29.8% (30.3% in males and 29.3% in females). Factors associated with smartphone addiction in male students were use of game apps, anxiety, and poor sleep quality. Significant factors for female undergraduates were use of multimedia applications, use of social networking services, depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality.ConclusionsSmartphone addiction was common among the medical college students investigated. This study identified associations between smartphone usage, psycho-behavioral factors, and smartphone addiction, and the associations differed between males and females. These results suggest the need for interventions to reduce smartphone addiction among undergraduate students.

• Publication year

  2017

• Venue

  BMC Psychiatry

• Publication date

  2017-10-10

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Psychology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1186/s12888-017-1503-zPMID 29017482PMCID 5634822
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Functional Composites and Structures

  2019cited by this paper
• Development of short‐form and screening cutoff point of the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI‐SF)

  2017cited by this paper
• Short version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale adapted to Spanish and French: Towards a cross-cultural research in problematic mobile phone use.

  2017influential reference
• Cell-Phone Addiction: A Review

  2016cited by this paper
• Dependency on Smartphone Use and its Association with Anxiety in Korea

  2016cited by this paper
• Proposed Diagnostic Criteria for Smartphone Addiction

  2016cited by this paper
• Prevalence and correlates of problematic smartphone use in a large random sample of Chinese undergraduates

  2016cited by this paper
• Sleep Quality in Medical Students; the Impact of Over-Use of Mobile CellPhone and Social Networks

  2016cited by this paper
• Intrinsic and extrinsic goals as moderators of stress and depressive symptoms in Chinese undergraduate students: A multi-wave longitudinal study

  2016cited by this paper
• Affects of Anxiety and Depression on Health-Related Quality of Life among Patients with Benign Breast Lumps Diagnosed via Ultrasonography in China

  2015cited by this paper
• Experiential avoidance and well-being: A daily diary analysis

  2015cited by this paper
• Relationship between smartphone addiction and physical activity in Chinese international students in Korea

  2015influential reference
• Interactions of problematic mobile phone use and psychopathological symptoms with unintentional injuries: a school-based sample of Chinese adolescents

  2015cited by this paper
• Smartphone use and smartphone addiction among young people in Switzerland

  2015influential reference
• Alleviating depression only to become problematic mobile phone users: Can face-to-face communication be the antidote?

  2015cited by this paper
• Relationship of Smartphone Use Severity with Sleep Quality, Depression, and Anxiety in University Students

  2015influential reference
• The Extended iSelf: The Impact of iPhone Separation on Cognition, Emotion, and Physiology

  2015cited by this paper
• Problematic mobile phone use in adolescents: derivation of a short scale MPPUS-10

  2015cited by this paper
• Cell Phones and Young Drivers: A Systematic Review Regarding the Association Between Psychological Factors and Prevention

  2014cited by this paper
• The association of family social support, depression, anxiety and self-efficacy with specific hypertension self-care behaviours in Chinese local community

  2014cited by this paper
• Out of sight is not out of mind: The impact of restricting wireless mobile device use on anxiety levels among low, moderate and high users

  2014cited by this paper
• A preliminary investigation into the prevalence and prediction of problematic cell phone use

  2014cited by this paper
• Internet addiction: a systematic review of epidemiological research for the last decade.

  2014cited by this paper
• The invisible addiction: Cell-phone activities and addiction among male and female college students

  2014cited by this paper
• The Prevalence of Excessive Mobile Phone Use and its Relation With Mental Health Status and Demographic Factors Among the Students of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences in 2011 - 2012

  2014cited by this paper
• Adolescents’ Electronic Media Use at Night, Sleep Disturbance, and Depressive Symptoms in the Smartphone Age

  2014cited by this paper
• Risk Factors of Internet Addiction and the Health Effect of Internet Addiction on Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal and Prospective Studies

  2014cited by this paper
• Internet addiction: a systematic review of epidemiological research for the last decade.

  2014cited by this paper
• Sleep quality among college students and associated factors

  2013cited by this paper
• The Smartphone Addiction Scale: Development and Validation of a Short Version for Adolescents

  2013influential reference
• Cell phone usage and broad feature preferences: A study among Finnish undergraduate students

  2013cited by this paper
• Development and Validation of a Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS)

  2013cited by this paper
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

  2013cited by this paper
• The bidirectional interactions between addiction, behaviour approach and behaviour inhibition systems among adolescents in a prospective study.

  2012cited by this paper
• Mobile phone use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults - a prospective cohort study

  2011cited by this paper
• 정신장애 진단 및 통계편람(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

  2011cited by this paper
• Sex Differences in Adolescent Depression: Do Sex Hormones Determine Vulnerability?

  2011cited by this paper
• Online communication, compulsive Internet use, and psychosocial well-being among adolescents: a longitudinal study.

  2008cited by this paper
• Issues for DSM-V: internet addiction.

  2008cited by this paper
• Gender, Anxiety, and Depressive Symptoms

  2008cited by this paper
• INVESTIGATION ON SLEEPING QUALITY OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND ITS INFLUENTIAL FACTORS

  2007cited by this paper
• Applied Logistic Regression: Hosmer/Applied Logistic Regression

  2005cited by this paper
• Using the CES-D in a two-phase survey for depressive disorders among nonreferred adolescents in Taipei: a stratum-specific likelihood ratio analysis.

  2004cited by this paper
• Gender differences in unipolar depression: an update of epidemiological findings and possible explanations

  2003cited by this paper
• Applied Logistic Regression

  2002cited by this paper
• Life events and anxiety in Chinese medical students

  1997cited by this paper
• Gambling on the internet: A brief note

  1996cited by this paper
• The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research.

  1989influential reference
• A rating instrument for anxiety disorders.

  1971cited by this paper
• The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population — Source link

  year unknowninfluential reference

• Associations of excessive smartphone duration and unlock frequency with non-suicidal self-injury in college students

  2026cites this paper
• The relationship between abnormalities in amygdala functional connectivity and emotion regulation difficulties in problematic smartphone users

  2026cites this paper
• Smartphone addiction and health promotion lifestyle in university students: a cross-sectional analytical study

  2026cites this paper
• A cross-sectional study to evaluate smartphone addiction among undergraduate medical students

  2026cites this paper
• A meta-analytic review of smartphone addiction prevalence in Chinese college students

  2026cites this paper
• The mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between parental psychological control and psychological distress among students with smartphone addiction.

  2026cites this paper
• The association between smartphone addiction and self-esteem among physical education undergraduate students: The chain-mediating roles of professional identity and meaning in life

  2026cites this paper
• Smartphone Application-Based Addiction, Short Video Addiction, and Short Video Flow among Physical Education Majors: A Cross-Sectional Study

  2026cites this paper
• Relationship between attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, mentalization ability, and various digital addictions: a cross-sectional study among university students

  2026cites this paper
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder and smartphone addiction among public sector employees in Iran

  2026cites this paper
• The indirect effects of smartphone addiction on accidental injuries: a cross-sectional study among medical college students

  2026cites this paper
• Sex-specific neural responses to smartphone cues in young adults

  2026cites this paper
• Psychosocial and Biological Factors Associated with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Chinese Child and Adolescent Inpatients with Major Depressive Disorder

  2026cites this paper
• Smartphone use, sleep, and mental health in Korean adolescents.

  2026cites this paper
• Smartphone usage in young adults: cross-sectional associations with physical activity, sleep, social isolation, academic achievement, and anxiety

  2026cites this paper
• The relationship between stress and aggressiveness in community correctional personnel: the indirect effects of mobile phone addiction and rumination and the moderating role of gender

  2025cites this paper
• Study of brain derived neurotrophic factor and cognition in mobile addicts: an observational study

  2025cites this paper
• Latent profile analysis of five childhood maltreatment subtypes and its associations with smartphone addiction among Chinese adolescents

  2025cites this paper
• Associations between mobile phone involvement, BMI levels, and sleep quality among Chinese university students: evidence from a multi-regional large-scale survey

  2025cites this paper
• Exploring smartphone usage patterns and perceived dependency: A cross-sectional study in Australia.

  2025cites this paper
• Screen time: Its link with depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep quality among medical students in a Northeast Medical Institute

  2025cites this paper
• Analysis of the Influence of Internet Use on the Occurrence of Stress Among Female Adolescents at SHS 7 Palu

  2025cites this paper
• Relationship of Smartphone Addiction with Cyberbullying, Alcohol Use, Depression, and Anxiety Among University Students

  2025influential citation
• SANAL GERÇEKLİK, GERÇEK BAĞIMLILIK: TEKNOLOJİNİN TOPLUMSAL ETKİLERİ

  2025cites this paper
• Psychometric properties of the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS-SV) in adolescents in Peru

  2025cites this paper
• The mediating effect of nomophobia in the relationship between problematic social media use/problematic smartphone use and psychological distress among university students

  2025cites this paper
• Attachment beyond the screen: The influences of demographic factors and parasocial relationships on social media use in Qatar

  2025cites this paper
• A Cross-lagged Panel Network Analysis of the Relationship Between Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Problematic TikTok Use

  2025cites this paper
• Relationships Between Body Attitude, Loneliness, Problematic Smartphone Use, and Associated Feelings of Deprivation

  2025cites this paper
• Unmet psychological needs underlying mobile phone dependence among medical undergraduates: a qualitative study based on the basic psychological needs theory

  2025cites this paper
• Mobile Phone Usage in Higher Education Among Pre-Service Teachers in Nigeria: A Qualitative Study

  2025cites this paper
• Comparing the Associations of Internet Addiction and Internet Gaming Disorder With Psychopathological Symptoms: Cross-Sectional Study of Three Independent Adolescent Samples

  2025cites this paper
• The Association Between Interparental Conflict and Problematic Internet Use: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis.

  2025cites this paper
• Bibliometric analysis of research trends in college students' mobile phone addiction from 2013 to 2023

  2025cites this paper
• From active users to passive watchers: Profiles of TikTok engagement and mental health predictors.

  2025cites this paper
• The relationship between perceived stress and mobile phone addiction in adolescents: a meta-analysis

  2025cites this paper
• Unlocking puzzle: serial mediation effect of social withdrawal and aggression on the relationship between impulsivity and problematic smartphone use in Korean young people

  2025cites this paper
• The correlation between mindfulness and problematic smartphone use: A meta-analysis.

  2025cites this paper
• The relationship between smartphone addiction and anxiety: a cross-sectional study among Moroccan nursing students

  2025cites this paper
• TikTok Use in Relation to Mental Health and Well-Being: A Longitudinal Network Analysis

  2025cites this paper
• The relationship between video game addiction, neck disability and upper extremity functional limitations in adolescents’ students

  2025cites this paper
• Problematic Smartphone Use: An Overlooked Trigger for Oculomotor Strain, Cervical Disability, and Headache in Medical Students

  2025cites this paper
• From Nighttime and Daytime Smartphone Use to Negative Emotions in Adults: The Pathway Through Sleep Indicators and Event Importance

  2025cites this paper
• Pattern of smartphone use and its influence on psychosocial features among health professional course scholars: a cross-sectional study

  2025cites this paper
• Extent of Anxiety Among Married Women in Bangladesh and its Potential Predictors: A Nation-Wide Cross-Sectional Study

  2025cites this paper
• Understanding the complex network of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and smartphone addiction among college art students using network analysis

  2025cites this paper
• Disruptions in Lifestyle Due to Escalating Screen Time: A Behavioural Perspective

  2025cites this paper
• Predictors of Smartphone Usage Addiction among Health Sciences Students in Selected Universities in Kampala, Uganda

  2025cites this paper
• Social Anxiety and Smartphone Addiction in Chinese University Students: A Moderated Mediation Model of Rumination and Gender

  2025cites this paper
• Smartphone addiction and musculoskeletal associated disorders in university students: biomechanical measures and questionnaire survey analysis

  2025cites this paper
• Examining Screen Time Features for Managing Problematic Smartphone Use and Dependence: An Extension of Technology Acceptance Model

  2025cites this paper
• Prevalence Of Smartphone Pinky Syndrome In A Population Of Smartphone Addicted Collegiate Individuals

  2025influential citation
• Association between maternal depression and smartphone use: a 1.5-year follow-up cohort study of Japanese mothers

  2025influential citation
• The Effect of Smartphone Addiction on Emotion Regulation and Problem Solving in University Students

  2025cites this paper
• Connected by Boredom: A Systematic Review of the Role of Trait Boredom in Problematic Technology Use

  2025cites this paper
• The relationship between smartphone addiction, academic procrastination, and anxiety: evidence from a diary-based approach.

  2025cites this paper
• The Relationship Between Smartphone and Game Addiction, Leisure Time Management, and the Enjoyment of Physical Activity: A Comparison of Regression Analysis and Machine Learning Models

  2025cites this paper
• Exploring the trajectories of problematic smartphone use in adolescence: Insights from a longitudinal study

  2025cites this paper
• Risk Factors for Cochlear Dysfunction Due to Mobile Phone Usage Among Medical Students

  2025cites this paper
• The Impact of Smartphone Addiction on Cyberloafing: The Moderating Role of Generation Differences

  2025cites this paper
• Problematic Smartphone Use Is Associated With Current and Previous Major Depressive Disorder

  2025cites this paper
• The Relationship Between Smartphone Use and Postural Disorders: An Investigation on University Students

  2025cites this paper
• Assessment of Validity and Reliability of the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) Among Iranian Medical Students

  2025cites this paper
• Prevalence of Wrist Pain, Disability, and Association with Smartphone Addiction Among Undergraduate Physical Therapy Students of Hayatabad Peshawar; An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

  2025cites this paper
• One-year update on physical activity and smartphone addiction in university students: A systematic review of novel research

  2025influential citation
• Smartphone addiction and its effect on sleep quality in medical students - a cross-sectional study

  2025cites this paper
• Evaluation and Prevalence of Phubbing Phenomenon Among the Students at the Faculty of Rehabilitation, SBMU

  2025cites this paper
• Measuring problematic smartphone use among students using the Smartphone Addiction Scale

  2025cites this paper
• Under war: The relationship between smartphone addiction, psychological security, and psychological loneliness among Yemeni university students.

  2025cites this paper
• The Impact of Different Sports on Reducing Mobile Phone Addiction: A Systematic Review and Network Meta‐Analysis

  2025cites this paper
• Psychological well-being, gender, and age-specific difference on objectively recorded smartphone screen time in Japanese adults: A regression and clustering analysis

  2025cites this paper
• Fear of missing out mediates the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and problematic smartphone use severity

  2025cites this paper
• A longitudinal study on problematic smartphone use and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: the mediating role of academic procrastination and anxiety

  2025cites this paper
• Adolescent Smartphone Overdependence in South Korea: A Place-Stratified Evaluation of Conceptually Informed AI/ML Modeling

  2025cites this paper
• Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Short-Form Video Addiction and Adolescent Depression: The Mediating Role of Attentional Bias

  2025cites this paper
• The Influence of Negative Emotions on Mobile Phone Addiction Among Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Negative Coping Styles and the Moderating Role of Gender

  2025cites this paper
• The effects of smartphone addiction on postural awareness and habits, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain and sleep quality

  2025cites this paper
• Social anxiety and smartphone addiction among college students: the mediating role of depressive symptoms

  2025cites this paper
• Factors Associated with Problematic Mobile Phone Use among Sub-Saharan African Populations: Moderating Effect of Gender

  2025cites this paper
• Gender differences in symptom interactions between problematic smartphone use and social anxiety in adolescents: a network analysis

  2025cites this paper
• Correlates of problematic smartphone use among Chinese adolescents during COVID-19

  2025cites this paper
• The Triadic Association of Smartphone Addiction, Psychological Distress, and Self-Efficacy among Adolescents

  2025cites this paper
• Prevalence of Smartphone Addiction and Its Associated Factors Among College Students Aged 18-23 Years in Kerala, India: A Cross-Sectional Study

  2025cites this paper
• The early stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic's Psychological Footprint: A Study on the Surge of Mental Health Concerns in China as Reflected by Baidu Index

  2025cites this paper
• Prevalence and Distinct Correlates of Smartphone Addiction, Depressive Symptoms, and Their Comorbidity in College Students

  2025cites this paper
• Communication Preferences and Factors Predicting Smartphone Addiction Among Four Generations of Australians: Gender and Generational Differences

  2024cites this paper
• The Associations Between the Problematic Social Media and Smartphone Use, Social Phobia, and Self-Esteem: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

  2024cites this paper
• NAVIGATING THE DIGITAL ABYSS: EXPLORING THE NEXUS BETWEEN LONELINESS, AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, AND SMARTPHONE ADDICTION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

  2024cites this paper
• The Impact of Smartphone Usage Patterns on Health and Other Aspects of Life Post-Covid Pandemic

  2024influential citation
• Study protocol of a proposed Neurofeedback-Assisted Mindfulness Training Program on symptoms of anxiety and psychological distress associated with smartphone use in young adults: a randomized controlled trial

  2024cites this paper
• The Effect of Mobile Device Usage on SDQ Scores for Children Aged 6–12 in Jordan

  2024cites this paper
• Comparative Study of Nomophobia Prevalence among College Students in Relation to Gender Differences

  2024cites this paper
• Trends and Influencing Factors in Problematic Smartphone Use Prevalence (2012–2022): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  2024cites this paper
• Exploring Gender-Dependent Relationships between Mobile Phone Screen Addiction and Sleep Quality

  2024cites this paper
• Towards a deeper understanding of social media behavior: patterns and trends

  2024cites this paper
• Predictive analysis of college students’ academic procrastination behavior based on a decision tree model

  2024influential citation
• Effect of smartphone addiction on mental health and sleep quality among undergraduate pharmacy students in a Nigerian public university

  2024cites this paper
• Smartphone Usage Patterns and Sleep Behavior in Demographic Groups: Retrospective Observational Study

  2024cites this paper
• Mobile multitasking in learning: A meta-analysis of effects of mobilephone distraction on young adults' immediate recall

  2024cites this paper
• The growth of problematic media use over early childhood: Associations with long-term social and emotional outcomes

  2024cites this paper