Abstract:

Based on the increase of smartphone addiction among students, understanding the effects of smartphone addiction on students’ health is essential for developing appropriate interventions. This study has been conducted in order to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction and quality of life among students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). This cross-sectional study has been performed using the stratified sampling method on 320 TUMS students in 2017. The data collection tool includes a demographic questionnaire, the Cellphone over-use Scale (COS), and the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Data have been analyzed through SPSS 18 using the t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’ correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regressions. Students’ mean age is 24.45±4.46; 45.6% are male. A significant inverse relationship exists between smartphone addiction scores and the quality of life scores for physical, mental, and social aspects (p<0.05). Smartphone addiction scores are significantly higher for females, bachelors, and married students (p<0.05). The smartphone addiction score determines 6% of the variance in quality of life. Alongside addiction, smartphone overuse may negatively influence the physical, mental, and social aspects of students’ quality of life.

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