Assessing the prevalence and severity of smartphone addiction in postsecondary students: a brief report

Abstract

Objective: To explore the prevalence and severity of smartphone addiction among a sample of Canadian university students. Participants: A sample of 925 full-time university students enrolled at the host institution were recruited. Participants were primarily undergraduates (70.2%), women (77.1%), and owned an Apple smartphone (70.3%). Methods: Participants completed an online questionnaire including a modified version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) and demographics (i.e., degree pursing, gender, type of phone, faculty). Descriptive statistics for SAS sum score were calculated. Univariate ANOVAs were performed to explore differences in smartphone addiction among demographics. Results: Mean SAS sum score was 92.00 (i.e., “moderate” addiction level), 95% CI [90.52, 93.49]. Significant ANOVAs were found for degree, phone type, and faculty. Post-hoc tests revealed undergraduates and Apple users reported significantly higher smartphone addiction. Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of smartphone addiction among Canadian university students represents a budding health concern for postsecondary students.

Keywords:

• Addiction
• postsecondary
• smartphone
• students