From Belongingness to Phubbing Behavior among Adults: The Serial Multiple Mediational Role of Leisure Boredom and Smartphone Use

Although smartphones can make life easier, their excessive and uncontrolled use can lead to negative behavioural patterns. One such pattern is 'phubbing'. It is important to identify the antecedents of phubbing in order to develop effective preventive interventions. This study examined the serial multiple mediating effects of leisure boredom and smartphone use on the relationship between general belongingness and phubbing among adults. A correlational survey design was employed to collect data from 305 adults aged 18–60 years using the Personal Information Form, the General Phubbing Scale, the General Belongingness Scale, and the Leisure Boredom Scale. The proposed serial multiple mediation model was tested using a regression-based bootstrapping technique via Hayes' PROCESS Macro (model 6). The findings revealed that leisure boredom and smartphone use significantly mediated the link between general belongingness and phubbing. As general belongingness decreased, leisure boredom increased, which in turn, led to greater smartphone use and subsequently higher levels of phubbing behaviour in adult sample. Contributions to future research and implications for potential interventions to reduce phubbing were discussed, along with suggestions for researchers and practitioners.