Evaluation of The Relationship Between Internet and Smartphone Addiction and Loneliness Among University Students

Year 2023, , 305 - 318, 25.10.2023

Yasemin Sarıcı , İlknur Sayan

https://doi.org/10.33438/ijdshs.1356505

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationships between Internet addiction, smartphone use, and loneliness among university students, and compared these variables according to demographic characteristics. A total of 384 university students participated in this study, which employed a cross-sectional design. Data were collected using the Internet Addiction Test, Smartphone Addiction Scale, and UCLA Loneliness Scale. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and multiple comparison tests were used for data analysis. The results revealed significant positive correlations between internet addiction, smartphone use, and loneliness, highlighting the interrelated nature of these constructs. Sociodemographic factors such as age, department, leisure activities, and family relationships were significantly associated with the study variables. Specifically, younger age groups and students from Health Sciences and Business and Management departments reported higher scores for Internet addiction and smartphone use. Moreover, engaging in sports or reading during leisure time was associated with lower scores in these areas. To conclude, findings emphasize the importance of considering sociodemographic factors and promoting alternative leisure activities when designing interventions to mitigate the negative effects of excessive technology use. Further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms and potential strategies for addressing internet addiction, smartphone use, and loneliness among university students.

Keywords

internet addiction, loneliness, smartphone use, sociodemographic factors

References

• Ak, Ş., Koruklu, N., and Yılmaz, Y. (2013). A study on Turkish adolescent's Internet use: possible predictors of Internet addiction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(3), 205-209.
• Aktaş, H., and Yılmaz, N. (2017). Smartphone addiction in terms of the elements of loneliness and shyness of university youth. International Journal of Social Sciences and Education Research, 3(1), 85-100.
• Alt, D. (2018). Students’ wellbeing, fear of missing out, and social media engagement for leisure in higher education learning environments. Current Psychology, 37, 128-138.
• Andreassen, C.S., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M.D., Kuss, D.J., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., and Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30(2), 252.
• Aslan, S. (2023). Investigation of the relationship between smartphone addiction and social loneliness in high school students. Vulnerable children and youth studies, 18(1), 113-123.
• Bayhan, V. (1998). Internet usage habits and internet addiction among high school students (Malatya application). Young, 237, 244.
• Bozoglan, B., and Demirer, V. (2015). The association between internet addiction and psychosocial variables. In Psychological and social implications surrounding internet and gaming addiction (pp. 171-185): IGI Global.
• Cacioppo, J.T., and Cacioppo, S. (2018). Loneliness in the modern age: An evolutionary theory of loneliness (ETL). In Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 58, pp. 127-197): Elsevier.
• Carras, M.C., Van Rooij, A.J., Van de Mheen, D., Musci, R., Xue, Q.L., and Mendelson, T. (2017). Video gaming in a hyperconnected world: A cross-sectional study of heavy gaming, problematic gaming symptoms, and online socializing in adolescents. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 472-479.
• Chóliz, M. (2010). Mobile phone addiction: a point of issue. Addiction, 105(2), 373-374.
• De Jong Gierveld, J. (1998). A review of loneliness: concept and definitions, determinants and consequences. Reviews in clinical gerontology, 8(1), 73-80.
• Demir, A., and Fişiloĝlu, H. (1999). Loneliness and marital adjustment of Turkish couples. The Journal of Psychology, 133(2), 230-240.
• Demir, A.G. (1989). Validity and reliability of the UCLA loneliness scale.
• Demirci, K., Orhan, H., Demirdas, A., Akpinar, A., and Sert, H. (2014). Validity and reliability of the Turkish Version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale in a younger population. Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 24(3), 226-234.
• Esen, E. (2010). Examination of psycho-social variables that predict internet addiction in adolescents. DEU Institute of Educational Sciences,
• Gökçearslan, Ş., Uluyol, Ç., and Şahin, S. (2018). Smartphone addiction, cyberloafing, stress and social support among university students: A path analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 91, 47-54.
• Hawkley, L.C., and Cacioppo, J.T. (2010). Loneliness matters: A theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. Annals of behavioral medicine, 40(2), 218-227.
• J Kuss, D., D Griffiths, M., Karila, L., and Billieux, J. (2014). Internet addiction: A systematic review of epidemiological research for the last decade. Current pharmaceutical design, 20(25), 4026-4052.
• Kwon, M., Lee, J.Y., Won, W.Y., Park, J.W., Min, J.A., Hahn, C., Kim, D.J. (2013). Development and validation of a smartphone addiction scale (SAS). PloS one, 8(2), e56936.
• Lepp, A., Barkley, J.E., and Karpinski, A.C. (2015). The relationship between cell phone use and academic performance in a sample of US college students. Sage Open, 5(1), 2158244015573169.
• Murat, K., and Günüç, S. (2009). The adaptation of internet addiction scale into Turkish: The study of validity and reliability. Ankara University Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences (JFES), 42(1), 157-176.
• Noyan, C.O., Darçin, A.E., Nurmedov, S., Yilmaz, O., and Dilbaz, N. (2015). Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version among university students. Journal of Anadolu Psychiatry, 16, 73.
• Odacı, H., and Çıkrıkçı, Ö. (2014). Problematic internet use in terms of gender, attachment styles and subjective well-being in university students. Computers in Human Behavior, 32, 61-66.
• Ozcan, B., and Acimis, N. M. (2021). Sleep Quality in Pamukkale University Students and its relationship with smartphone addiction. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 37(1), 206.
• Öztürk, Z., Aksoy, M., and Turan, G. (2023). Investigating the Relationship Among Coronavirus Anxiety, Smartphone Addiction, and Sleep Quality During Covid-19 Pandemic. Journal of Balıkesir Medical Sciences, 12(1), 21-28.
• Peplau, L.A. (1982). Perspective on loneliness. Lonelinss: a sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy. Perlman, D. (1982). Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy (Vol. 36): John Wiley & Sons Incorporated.
• Pretorius, T.B. (1993). The metric equivalence of the UCLA Loneliness Scale for a sample of South African students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53(1), 233-239.
• Sahin, S., Ozdemir, K., Unsal, A., and Temiz, N. (2013). Evaluation of mobile phone addiction level and sleep quality in university students. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 29(4), 913.
• Salmela-Aro, K., Upadyaya, K., Hakkarainen, K., Lonka, K., and Alho, K. (2017). The dark side of internet use: Two longitudinal studies of excessive internet use, depressive symptoms, school burnout and engagement among Finnish early and late adolescents. Journal of youth and adolescence, 46, 343-357.
• Tokunaga, R.S. (2015). Perspectives on Internet addiction, problematic Internet use, and deficient self-regulation: Contributions of communication research. Annals of the International Communication Association, 39(1), 131-161.
• Tóth-Király, I., Morin, A.J., and Salmela-Aro, K. (2021). A longitudinal perspective on the associations between work engagement and workaholism. Work & Stress, 35(1), 27-56.
• Tóth‐Király, I., Morin, A.J., Hietajärvi, L., and Salmela‐Aro, K. (2021). Longitudinal trajectories, social and individual antecedents, and outcomes of problematic Internet use among late adolescents. Child Development, 92(4), e653-e673.
• Wang, M.T., Willett, J.B., and Eccles, J.S. (2011). The assessment of school engagement: Examining dimensionality and measurement invariance by gender and race/ethnicity. Journal of school psychology, 49(4), 465-480.
• Weinstein, A., Dorani, D., Elhadif, R., Bukovza, Y., Yarmulnik, A., and Dannon, P. (2015). Internet addiction is associated with social anxiety in young adults. Annals of clinical psychiatry, 27(1), 4-9.
• Yalçin, I., Özkurt, B., Özmaden, M., and Yağmur, R. (2020). Effect of smartphone addiction on loneliness levels and academic achievement of z generation. International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, 7(1), 208-214.
• Yıldız, M.A., and Duy, B. (2014). Adaptation of the short-form of the UCLA loneliness scale (ULS-8) to Turkish for the adolescents.
• Young, K.S. (1998). Internet addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder. Cyberpsychology & behavior, 1(3), 237-244.
• Zhang, W., Pu, J., He, R., Yu, M., Xu, L., He, X., ... Tan, Y. (2022). Demographic characteristics, family environment and psychosocial factors affecting internet addiction in Chinese adolescents. Journal of Affective Disorders, 315, 130-138.