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The Relationship between Duration of Smartphone Uses and Anxiety in University Students during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Author

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  • Jianmin Wang

    (Department of Physical Education, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian 223003, China)

  • Wang Li

    (Department of Physical Education, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian 223003, China)

  • Liang Ding

    (Department of Physical Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China)

  • Shulei Chen

    (Department of Physical Education, Dalian University of Science and Technology, Dalian 116052, China)

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, China adopted a home isolation policy, which caused lifestyle changes for university students, including increased smartphone use. Several studies indicate that problematic smartphone use is associated with anxiety. However, this association has not been examined in the context of epidemics. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the duration of smartphone use was associated with anxiety in Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants included 9716 university students (5458 men and 4258 women) from Liaoning, China. We assessed the duration of smartphone use with a self-reported questionnaire. Anxiety was assessed using the generalized anxiety disorder seven-item scale. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the adjusted association between smartphone use and anxiety. Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, we observed a positive association between smartphone use duration and the prevalence of anxiety in all participating students. Compared with short periods of smartphone usage, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for moderate and long smartphone usage duration were 1.17 (1.00, 1.36) and 1.58 (1.36, 1.83), respectively. This significant positive association did not change in the sex-stratified analysis (for both men and women). Conclusions: Our examination of the association between duration of smartphone uses and university students’ anxiety levels revealed that long smartphone use was associated with a high prevalence of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Jianmin Wang & Wang Li & Liang Ding & Shulei Chen, 2022. "The Relationship between Duration of Smartphone Uses and Anxiety in University Students during the COVID-19 Outbreak," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-8, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:11:p:6620-:d:827039
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Julia Dratva & Annina Zysset & Nadine Schlatter & Agnes von Wyl & Marion Huber & Thomas Volken, 2020. "Swiss University Students’ Risk Perception and General Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-11, October.
    2. Aleksandar Višnjić & Vladica Veličković & Dušan Sokolović & Miodrag Stanković & Kristijan Mijatović & Miodrag Stojanović & Zoran Milošević & Olivera Radulović, 2018. "Relationship between the Manner of Mobile Phone Use and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-11, April.
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