Smartphone Addiction as a Public Health Concern: Psychological Impacts among Young Academicians

Objective: Although smartphones have become an integral part of daily life through the development of new applications, they have led people to become dependent on them. In this study, we aim to investigate the levels of smartphone addiction and the factors influencing it among assistants working at a university hospital.Method: A total of 171 female and 129 male assistants participated in the study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire developed by the researchers, along with the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care (BDI-PC), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The data were analyzed using SPSS.Results: The average age of participants was 29.6 ± 3.8 years. The mean score on the SAS was 70.84 ± 25.03. Participants who self-identified as being addicted to their smartphones had significantly higher SAS scores compared to those who did not. Moreover, there was a strong positive correlation between smartphone addiction levels and scores on both the BDI-PC and BAI, indicating a link between smartphone addiction and symptoms of depression and anxiety.Conclusions: Smartphone addiction appears to be a noteworthy public health concern that may be associated with serious psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety.