JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Although several studies explored the relationship between problematic smartphone use and mental health, much less is known about the effects of excessive smartphone use on self-esteem among individuals with Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Furthermore, given the evidence about the gender difference in smartphone usage, little is known about whether the effects of smartphone overuse on self-esteem would differ by gender.

Objective:

The aim of this study is to examine the estimated effects of excessive smartphone use on self-esteem in a Korean cohort of young and middle-aged adults with IGD and detect gender differences.

Methods:

The study subjects were included based on those aged 20-40 years who used Android OS-based smartphones on average one hour or more per day, recruited from the various parts of South Korea (Metropolitan area, Chungcheong-do, Gyeongsang-do, Jeolla-do, and Gangwon-do/Jeju-do). This study focused on those with IGD, which resulted in a sample of 189 participants (men=120, women=69). Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale and the Korean smartphone addiction proneness scale (K-SAPS) were utilized to assess the outcome ‘self-esteem’ and the primary independent variable ‘excessive smartphone use,’ respectively. Guided by Bowlby’s attachment theory and prior studies, we selected several covariates. We conducted generalized linear regression analyses as well as subgroup analyses by gender.

Results:

Overall, the average K-SAPS was significantly higher in women than in men (41.30 vs. 37.94). The high degree of excessive smartphone use assessed by the K-SAPS was significantly more prevalent in women than in men (30.43% vs. 20.83%). Our findings from the generalized linear regression analyses indicate that an increase in the K-SAPS had a negative effect on self-esteem among those with IGD (β=-0.18, p=.001). Further, our interaction models find that among those with IGD, men than women had lower self-esteem associated with an increase in the K-SAPS and a high degree of smartphone overuse (β=-0.19, p=.004; β=-3.73, p<.001).

Conclusions:

We found that excessive smartphone use had a negative effect on self-esteem among young and middle-aged adults with IGD in Korea; notably, men than women appeared to receive a more adverse influence from smartphone overuse on their self-esteem. Our findings suggest that more considerations should be made to reduce smartphone overuse among those with IGD, particularly men with IGD, by developing interventions or prevention programs.