Ten-year-old Kristoff Davidson enthusiastically looking forward to playing more ‘sixes’ golf after tasting success
However, it's been unclear whether reliance on smartphones precedes those symptoms, or whether the reverse is true - that depressed or lonely people are more likely to become dependent on their phones.
"The main takeaway is that smartphone dependency directly predicts later depressive symptoms," said Lapierre, assistant professor in the department of communication.
"There's an issue where people are entirely too reliant on the device, in terms of feeling anxious if they don't have it accessible, and they're using it to the detriment of their day-to-day life."
"But if smartphone dependency (precedes depression and loneliness), which is what we found, we can reduce smartphone dependency to maintain or improve wellbeing."
The researchers measured smartphone dependency by asking study participants to use a four-point scale to rate a series of statements, such as "I panic when I cannot use my smartphone."
The study focused on older adolescents, a population researchers say is important because they largely grew up with smartphones and they are at an age and transitional stage in life where they are vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes, such as depression.
"It might be easier for late adolescents to become dependent on smartphones, and smartphones may have a bigger negative influence on them because they are already very vulnerable to depression or loneliness," Zhao noted.
Ten-year-old Kristoff Davidson enthusiastically looking forward to playing more ‘sixes’ golf after tasting success
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