The Relationship between Social Anxiety, Smartphone Use, Dispositional Trust, and Problematic Smartphone Use: A Moderated Mediation Model
Annoni AM, Petrocchi S, Camerini AL, Marciano L
International journal of environmental research and public health · 30 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Cross-sectional study (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Government
- National Science Foundation
- Government
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Government
- Swiss National Science Foundation
- Grants
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (183199)
Based on 3 listed funder(s).
Publication
- Published
- 2021-03-02 · Int J Environ Res Public Health · vol. 18 · issue 5 · p. 2452
- Publisher
- Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
- Cited
- 76 citations · more than 99% of similar papers · 19.0× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 115 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Child Development and Digital Technology · Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies
- Keywords
- smartphone addiction, social anxiety, dispositional trust, smartphone use duration, moderated mediation, online relationships
- MeSH
- humans, behavior, addictive, anxiety, fear, trust, adult, female, male, young adult, smartphone
4 authors
From CH
- Anna Maria Annoni · correspondingUniversity of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland; Università della Svizzera italiana
- Serena PetrocchiUniversità della Svizzera italiana
- Anne-Linda CameriniUniversità della Svizzera italiana
- Laura MarcianoUniversità della Svizzera italiana
Abstract
Background
The pervasiveness of smartphones has raised concerns about an increase in the prevalence of problematic smartphone use (PSU), which depends on a set of psychological and behavioral risk factors. Previous research has yielded mixed results on factors predicting PSU, including social anxiety and trust. In particular, the role of trust remained largely unexplored. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between social anxiety and PSU, via the mediating role of time spent on the phone, and to explore the moderating role of dispositional trust toward others, by using a moderated mediation model with PSU as the outcome.
Methods
A total of 240 young adults (Mage = 23.33, SD = 3.90, 50% male) answered an online questionnaire, which included the 12-item Social Anxiety Scale, a question on the daily duration of smartphone use, a single-item measure of dispositional trust, and the 10-item Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version. Gender and occupational status were included as covariates.
Results
Social anxiety was significantly and positively related to PSU; however, smartphone use did not mediate this relationship. Although the relationship between smartphone use and PSU was significant and positive, the link between social anxiety and smartphone use was not. Dispositional trust moderated and strengthened the direct relationships between social anxiety and PSU as well as smartphone use and PSU.
Conclusions
Heavy smartphone users as well as socially anxious individuals, with the tendency of trusting others, are more at risk of PSU, which can be explained by their preference and search for online connections.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
Community trust
Loading…
How much do you trust this study's findings?
Comments
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inSomething wrong here?
Flag this study if its information, labels or funding look wrong. An editor reviews every flag.
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inEducational information about published research. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start or stop anything.