In a study of 346 participants, ages 18-20, researcher Matthew Lapierre and his collaborators from University of Arizona found that smartphone dependency predicts higher reports of depressive symptoms and loneliness, rather than the other way around. The main takeaway is that smart phone dependency directly predicts later depressive symptoms," said Lapierre, assistant professor in the department of communication.
"There's an issue where people are entirely too reliant on the device, in terms of feeling anxious if they don't have it accessible, and they're using it to the detriment of their day-to-day life." In the study, which will be published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Lapierre and his co-authors focus on smart phone dependency rather than on general smartphone use, which can actually provide benefits.
Understanding the direction of the relationship between smartphone dependency and poor psychological outcomes is critical for knowing how best to address the problem, said Pengfei Zhao who co-authored the study.
