Need to Belong and Smartphone Addiction Risk: Mediating Role of Anxiety Symptoms And Cognitive Flexibility

Year 2025, Volume: 26 Issue: 1, 36 - 46, 31.03.2025

Selin Yılmaz

https://doi.org/10.51982/bagimli.1527919

Abstract

Objective: The main aim of the current study was to scrutinize the role of anxiety symptoms and cognitive flexibility in the relationship between the need to belong and smartphone addiction risk with the help of a model.
Method: A total of 324 healthy university students, 214 female and 110 male, engaged in the study (M ± SD age = 22.16 ± 1.73). Need to belong, anxiety symptoms, cognitive flexibility, and smartphone addiction risk were measured via the Need to Belong Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Cognitive Flexibility Scale, and Smartphone Addiction Scale, respectively.
Results: Results of the Pearson correlation analyses indicated that the need to belong was positively correlated with anxiety symptoms (r = .28, p<.001) and smartphone addiction risk (r =.30, p<.001) and negatively correlated with cognitive flexibility (r = -.34, p<.001). In multiple mediation analysis, it was seen that there was a significant indirect effect of the need to belong on smartphone addiction risk through cognitive flexibility (b =.1417, SE =.06, 95%CI [0.03,0.27]) and anxiety symptoms (b = .2416, SE =.06, 95%CI [0.12, 0.37]).
Conclusion: The need to belong may give rise to a smartphone addiction risk by increasing anxiety symptoms and decreasing cognitive flexibility.

Keywords

Behavioral addiction, smartphone addiction, anxiety level, flexible thinking

Aidiyet İhtiyacı ve Akıllı Telefon Bağımlılığı Riski: Anksiyete Semptomları ve Bilişsel Esnekliğin Aracı Rolü

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, aidiyet ihtiyacı ile akıllı telefon bağımlılığı riski arasındaki ilişkide anksiyete belirtilerinin ve bilişsel esnekliğin rolünü bir model aracılığıyla incelemektir.
Yöntem: Çalışmaya 214 kadın ve 110 erkek olmak üzere toplam 324 sağlıklı üniversite öğrencisi katılmıştır (M ± SD yaş = 22.16 ± 1.73). Aidiyet ihtiyacı, anksiyete semptomları, bilişsel esneklik ve akıllı telefon bağımlılığı riski sırasıyla Aidiyet İhtiyacı Ölçeği, Beck Anksiyete Envanteri, Bilişsel Esneklik Ölçeği ve Akıllı Telefon Bağımlılığı Ölçeği ile ölçülmüştür.
Bulgular: Pearson korelasyon analizlerinin sonuçları, aidiyet ihtiyacının anksiyete semptomları (r = .28, p<.001) ve akıllı telefon bağımlılığı riski (r = .30, p<.001) ile pozitif, bilişsel esneklik (r = -.34, p<.001) ile negatif ilişkili olduğunu göstermiştir. Çoklu aracılık analizinde, aidiyet ihtiyacının bilişsel esneklik (b = .1417, SE = .06, %95CI [0.03,0.27]) ve anksiyete semptomları (b = .2416, SE = .06, %95CI [0.12, 0.37]) aracılığıyla akıllı telefon bağımlılığı riski üzerinde anlamlı dolaylı bir etkisi olduğu görülmüştür.
Sonuç: Aidiyet ihtiyacı anksiyete semptomlarını artırarak ve bilişsel esnekliği azaltarak akıllı telefon bağımlılığı riskine yol açabilir.

Keywords

Davranışsal bağımlılık, akıllı telefon bağımlılığı, kaygı düzeyi, esnek düşünme

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