Parental Attitudes and Socio-demographic Factors as Predictors of Smartphone Addiction in University Students

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine predictive effect of parental attitudes and socio-demographic variables (age, gender, time spent on smartphone, number of siblings, students’ feeling social, and parental education level) in university students’ addiction to smartphones. Participants included 670 university students whose age ranged between 18-30 years (M=21.6, SD=6.3). Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) and Parental Attitude Scale (PAS) and Socio-Demographic Information Form were used to collect data. The results showed that age, gender, parental education level, time spent on smartphone, number of siblings, and state of feeling social and parental attitudes predicted a significant amount of variance (11%) in smartphone addiction. The students’ perception of feeling social and parental attitudes functioned as a moderator on their smartphone addiction. It was revealed that the perception to be social softened the relation between authoritarian parental attitude and smartphone addiction. Furthermore, students experienced less smartphone addiction when their perception of feeling social and democratic parental attitudes were taken together. A negative and significant relation was found between democratic and authoritarian parental attitudes and smartphone addiction. A positive and significant relation was established between protective parental attitude and smartphone addiction.

The Effects of Peer Relationships on Smartphone Addiction among Adolescents

“…Çevik and Çelikkaleli (19) determined in their study that internet addiction mean scores of the adolescents whose mothers were "high school" graduates were significantly higher than those of the adolescents whose mothers were "illiterate" and "primary school graduates". In addition, Çiçek, Tanriverdi, Şanlı, & Buluş (22) did not reveal a significant difference between smartphone addiction and mother's education level in their study on university students. The difference between the fathers' educational levels and smartphone addiction of the adolescents was statistically significant.…”

The Relationship Between Smartphone Addiction, Psychological Well-Being and Anxiety in Midwifery Students Receiving Distance Education

“…In the study of Çiçek, Tanriverdi, Şanlı, and Buluş, (2021), there was a negative and significant relationship between democratic and authoritarian parental attitudes and smartphone addiction in university students, while a positive and significant relationship was found between protective parental attitudes and smartphone addiction [33]. A positive and significant relationship between high levels of internet addiction and loneliness in university students was also emphasized in studies [34,35].…”

Prevalence and Factors Related to Nomophobia: Arising Issues among Young Adults

“…Regarding parents’ education level, a study claimed that the mean nomophobia score decreased according to the father’s higher educational level [ 24 ]. Furthermore, a relevant study found that parents’ educational level, the duration of smartphone use, and social feelings were significantly associated with the development of smartphone addiction [ 25 ]. Another study supported the negative associations between father’s educational attainment and smartphone addiction, loneliness, and advancement motivation.…”