Association of Smartphone Addiction with Facial Asymmetry and Craniofacial Morphometry in Young Adults
Öz
Aim: To examine the differences in facial asymmetry and head-neck posture between young adults who are at risk for smartphone addiction and those who are not. The findings seek to raise awareness about postural health and facial aesthetics, and to inform clinical assessments and interventions in this area.
Methods: This study examined facial asymmetry and head-neck posture measurements among young adults at risk for smartphone addiction and those not. The study included 126 healthy university students aged 19–30. Participants were surveyed about their phone usage habits, screen time, and levels of addiction. To assess phone addiction, the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Form (SAS-SF) was employed. Furthermore, craniofacial symmetry and posture analyses were conducted using photogrammetric measurements and ImageJ software. The chin-brow vertical angle (CBVA) and craniovertebral angle (CVA) were calculated to evaluate head and neck posture. Additionally, the tragion-acromion distance was measured to assess lateral neck flexion.
Results: In the data analysis, it was found that GM-ex and nas-zg length asymmetry measurements were significantly higher in individuals at risk of addiction (p<0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between the groups in CBVA, CVA, or tragion-acromion distance. Regarding gender, the risk of phone addiction was significantly higher in women, but this difference did not substantially affect facial symmetry or posture.
Conclusions: Smartphone use may partially change the shape of certain facial areas, but it is not the only factor that affects these measurements. However, a larger and long-term study is needed to confirm these effects.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Craniofacial morphometry, facial asymmetry, smartphone addiction, young adults
Destekleyen Kurum
Scientific Research Ethics Committee of Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University
Etik Beyan
This study was approved by the Scientific Research Ethics Committee of Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University (approval date: 02.05.2025; approval number: 2025/6). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to inclusion in the study.
Teşekkür
The authors would like to thank all the participants.
Kaynakça
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