Prevalence of Smart Phone Addiction and its association with severity of depression and anxiety: A cross sectional study in Ain-Shams Medical Students

Abstract

Smartphones are popular devices capable of processing more information than other phones; they include many features such as games, access to the Internet and social networks, messaging, videos, multimedia, and navigation, in addition to their use for communication. Access to the Internet is increasingly easy due to improvements in mobile technology and the prevalence of smartphones. (Wilmer, H.H., et al., 2017) The booming use of smartphones and the fact that these phones encompass many features have raised the issue of smartphone addiction. Smartphone addiction is similar in many aspects to Internet addiction. Yet, there are also some differences, such as the easy portability, real-time Internet access and easy and direct communication features of smartphones. (Wyner, E.J., 2019) Behaviour addictions, including smartphone addiction, are generally difficult to define because they are related not only to physical, but also to social and psychological factors. The core features of behavioural addiction include the following: sustained engagement in a behaviour despite its negative effects, decreased control over participation in the behaviour, compulsive participation, and appetitive or craving urges that instantly precede engagement in the behaviour. (Zhang KZ, 2014) based on the definition of Internet addiction, smartphone addiction has been defined as the overuse of smartphones to the extent that it disturbs users’ daily lives. Remarkably, Addiction manifests itself in various forms such as preoccupation, tolerance, lack of control, withdrawal, mood modification, conflict, lies, excessive use and loss of interest. (Soni, R.,2017)