Open Access Research Article

Smartphones Addiction and its Correlates among University Students, Egypt

Mariam G Abd-Elnaser1, Dalia G Mahran*1, Hosnia S Abd El-Mageed1 and Ghaydaa Shehata2

1Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt

2Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt

Corresponding Author

Received Date: September 02, 2020;  Published Date: September 22, 2020

Introduction: Smartphones addiction is a common problem, especially among adolescents. It has been linked with potential health related hazards and psychological disorders. There is not enough data about the size of the problem in Egypt

Study objectives: to determine prevalence and correlates of smartphones addiction among Assiut University students.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted including 700 Assiut University students. They were selected randomly by using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. Data were collected by using four sections self-administered questionnaire including the students’ demographic data, the pattern of smartphone use, assessment of depression symptoms and smartphones addiction by Arabic version of smartphones addiction scale.

Results: Smartphones addiction prevalence was 44.7%. Multivariate logistic regression found that smartphones addiction increased significantly in males (OR= 1.8 & P-value = 0.002), use time of smartphone more than four hours daily (OR = 2.4 & P- value = 0.004) and self-reporting as smartphones addict (OR = 12.2 & P- value< 0.001). Also, it increased with severe depression symptoms (OR = 6.0 & P- value <0.001), moderately severe depression symptoms (OR = 3.4 & P - value <0.001) and (OR = 2.8 & P- value< 0.001) with moderate depression symptoms.

Conclusion: Smartphones addiction was highly prevalent among the sampled Egyptian students. Male gender, using smartphones more than four hours daily, self-reporting as smartphone addict and depression symptoms were found to be predictors of smartphones addiction. Students awareness programs should be planned about possible early warnings and potential consequences of smartphones use.

Keywords: Smartphones; Addiction; University students; Egypt

Abbreviations: FAS: Family Affluence Scale; SAS-A: Arabic Version of Smartphones Addiction Scale; PHQ-9: Patient Health Questionnaire-9; SNW: Social Networks

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