Role of Attachment and Family Functioning in Problematic Smartphone Use in Young Adults

Abstract

Overuse of the smartphone causes negative consequences on the health and behavior of younger people. It is necessary to know which factors can determine the problematic use of the smartphone. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between problematic smartphone use, attachment styles, and perceived family functioning in young adults. Three hundred and thirteen Spanish young adults took part in the study (255 women, 58 men) and completed the following instruments: the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV). The results of the path analyses show that the cohesion and enmeshed functioning variables were the best predictors of problematic smartphone use. The preoccupied attachment scale was the only one whose score also showed indirect effects on problematic smartphone use through the variable of enmeshed family functioning.

Insecure Attachment Styles and Unbalanced Family Functioning as Risk Factors of Problematic Smartphone Use in Spanish Young Adults: A Relative Weight Analysis

“…Regarding attachment styles and consistent with previous findings [45], our results underlined that insecure attachment, especially the preoccupied one, was related to PSU.…”

“…In order to avoid this undesired emotional state, the person may rely on a technological tool with interactive features, such as a smartphone [15,30]. In addition, as previous studies showed, for young Spanish adults, an enmeshed family functioning was negatively correlated with their psychological wellbeing [45,54]. The Spanish population is characterized by a strong cultural emphasis on autonomy and individuation, and as such, young adults tend to create distance between themselves and their families [54].…”

“…Only recently, Jimeno et al [ 45 ] analyzed the relationship among attachment styles, perceived family functioning, and PSU in a group of young Spanish adults. Results showed that the cohesion and enmeshed family functioning were the best predictors of PSU.…”

“…Results showed that the cohesion and enmeshed family functioning were the best predictors of PSU. At the same time, preoccupied attachment was the only one that also showed indirect effects on problematic smartphone use through the variable of enmeshed family functioning [ 45 ]. However, despite these promising findings, the authors did not consider the high statistical collinearity among predictors and between them and mediators.…”

“…Based on the available data in the literature [ 32 , 36 , 45 ], we expect that insecure attachment, especially the preoccupied one, and unhealthy family functioning increase the risk for PSU in our participants.…”