Problematic smartphone use predicts musculoskeletal symptoms in university students: the distinct roles of addiction vs. usage duration

Aims: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of problematic smartphone use among university students and to examine whether addiction scores or daily usage duration is more strongly associated with musculoskeletal symptoms, posture, and related habits.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September and November 2022 on 207 university students. Data were collected via an online survey including demographic information, the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), and the Modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (mNMQ). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Cronbach's Alpha, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, and Independent samples t-test. The significance level was set at p