Coping styles among Chinese adolescents: The development and validation of a smartphone coping style scale

ABSTRACT

Because of their entertainment functions and easy access, smartphones have become a popular means to help people cope with stress. However, there is not currently a validated set of measures for smartphone coping that captures the specific strategies people use when facing stress or difficulties, especially adolescents who suffer from psychological stress. This study aimed to develop a smartphone coping scale that includes specific strategies for adolescents. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, we first implemented focus groups and in-depth interviews to collect qualitative materials on smartphone coping. Then we constructed the initial items for the Smartphone Coping Style Scale. We next conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in one sample and assessed the reliability, stability, construct validity, criterion validity (anxiety/depression), and convergent validity (the Ways of Coping Questionnaire) in another sample. Three independent sub-components of smartphone coping were extracted: solving daily problems, distracting negative emotions, and seeking social support. The developed scale showed favorable levels of reliability, stability, and validity. The developed scale with three different subscales is a validated tool for capturing adolescents’ different smartphone coping styles and the scores of the three subscales should not be combined in practice.

IMPACT SUMMARY

Prior State of Knowledge: Previous literature advocated the importance of digital coping or regulation. Adolescence is a period of vulnerability to stress. Properly managing stress by using technology (e.g., smartphones) benefits adolescents’ health. However, it is unclear which smartphone coping styles adolescents use.

Novel Contributions: This study first revealed the structure of adolescents’ specific smartphone coping styles, which include solving daily problems, seeking social support, and distracting negative emotion. The first two coping styles are more adaptive, whereas the latter is more less adaptive.

Practical Implications: This study offers a reliable tool for researchers who are interested in exploring the impact of digital coping on adolescents’ development. Moreover, it informs policymakers and parents about adaptive types of smartphone coping, which should be encouraged to enhance the well-being of adolescents.

KEYWORDS:

• smartphone coping style
• problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping
• solving daily problems
• distracting negative emotion
• seeking social support

Acknowledgments

We thank the anonymous reviewers for constructive comments and suggestions, which have greatly improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2023.2239951.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Major Program of the National Social Science Fund of China under Grant 20&ZD153.

Notes on contributors

Shunsen Huang

Shunsen Huang is currently a doctoral candidate at Beijing Normal University’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning. His research utilizes mixed methods to explore various aspects related to technology use. They include problematic smartphone use, digital stress, media content, smartphone coping, and the use of artificial intelligence, specifically focusing on their impact on adolescents’ social development, including mental health, adjustment, and behaviors.

Xiaoxiong Lai

Xiaoxiong Lai, a doctoral candidate at Beijing Normal University’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, focuses on studying the relationship between media use and interpersonal relationships among children and adolescents. His research delves into potential mechanisms and the development of addictive media use behavior. He also explores adolescents’ mental health, growth mindset, and digital literacy.

Li Ke

Li Ke holds the position of Lecturer at the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University. His research interests lie in child movement development and early screening and intervention for children with neurodevelopmental disorders and specific learning disabilities.

Xubao Qin

Xubao Qin works as a teacher at the High School Affiliated to Southwest University in Chongqing, China. His primary research interests are career development and social media use among adolescents.

Jia Julia Yan

Jia Julia Yan is an Assistant Professor in Child and Family Studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Her research focuses on two aspects: understanding the behavior and characteristics of fathers and mothers, and the broader contexts that nurture adaptive emotional skills and protect against biological vulnerabilities. She also investigates the factors that collectively and interactively shape parenting behavior and adjustment during the transition to parenthood.

Yumei Xie

Yumei Xie is a teacher at Chongqing Chaoyang Middle School in Chongqing, China. Her research interests encompass technology and education, media use, and adolescents’ development.

Xinran Dai

Xinran Dai is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Beijing Normal University’s State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning. Her research concerns materialism, online interpersonal relationships, and digital media use.

Yun Wang

Yun Wang is a Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University. She focuses on various aspects of children’s and adolescents’ mental health and environment. Her research includes examining internal and external behavior, problematic smartphone use, environmental factors influencing child and adolescent development, and school assessments of student learning and development.