Short version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale in Chinese adults: Psychometric properties, sociodemographic, and health behavioral correlates

Abstract

Background and aimsProblematic smartphone use (PSU) is an emerging but understudied public health issue. Little is known about the epidemiology of PSU at the population level. We evaluated the psychometric properties of the Smartphone Addiction Scale – Short Version (SAS-SV) and examined its associated sociodemographic factors and health behaviors in Chinese adults in Hong Kong.MethodsA random sample of 3,211 adults aged ≥18 years (mean ± SD: 43.3 ± 15.7, 45.3% men) participated in a population-based telephone survey in Hong Kong and completed the Chinese SAS-SV. Multivariable linear regressions examined the associations of sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, and chronic disease status with SAS-SV score. Data were weighted by age, sex, and education attainment distributions of the Hong Kong general population.ResultsThe Chinese SAS-SV is internally consistent (Cronbach’s α = .844) and stable over 1 week (intraclass correlation coefficient = .76, p < .001). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure established by previous studies. The weighted prevalence of PSU was 38.5% (95% confidence interval: 36.9%, 40.2%). Female sex, younger age, being married/cohabitated or divorced/separated (vs. unmarried), and lower education level were associated with a higher SAS-SV score (all ps <.05). Current smoking, weekly to daily alcohol drinking, and physical inactivity predict greater PSU after controlling for sociodemographic factors and mutual adjustment.Discussion and conclusionsThe Chinese SAS-SV was found valid and reliable for assessing PSU in Hong Kong adults. Several sociodemographic and health behavioral factors were associated with PSU at the population level, which may have implication for prevention of PSU and future research.

Chat-based instant messaging support integrated with brief interventions for smoking cessation: a community-based, pragmatic, cluster-randomised controlled trial

“…1,2,4 Finally, although our sample was largely representative of daily cigarette smokers in the general population, the participants tended to be younger, probably because of the lower uptake of smartphone technologies in older smokers. 34 The generalisability of our findings might also be reduced by the greater proportion of previous quit attempts in our sample than in smokers in the general population.…”

Problematic Smartphone Use and Mental Health in Chinese Adults: A Population-Based Study

“…Longitudinal studies further supported the predicting effects of PSU on anxiety and depression in college students [7,8]. Although these age groups were deemed to be at higher risk for PSU because of developing self-control and more access to the ICTs, increasing prevalence of both smartphone ownership and PSU in adults of a wider age range warranted general population studies [11][12][13][14].…”

“…The target population was Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong residents aged 18 years old or above. We have conducted five waves of FHInTS since 2009 and reported details of the study design elsewhere [9,11,16]. The present survey was conducted from February to August 2017, as part of the fifth FHInTS.…”

“…The ten-item Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) measured five addiction-like symptoms of PSU, including daily-life disturbance, withdrawal, cyberspace-oriented relationship, overuse, and tolerance [22]. Each item scores on a Likert scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), with a higher total score (range 10 to 60) indicating a higher PSU level [22] [11]. The convergent validity was adequate, with composite reliability of 0.85 (CR > 0.70 acceptable) and average variance extracted of 0.37 (AVE > 0.40 acceptable if CR > 0.60).…”

“…Sociodemographic and lifestyle-related variables included sex, age, marital status, employment status, educational attainment, monthly household income, smoking, and alcohol drinking. This list of potential confounders was selected based on prior associations with PSU and mental health outcomes [11,29,30].…”