IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i17p10540-d896188.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Has Smartphone Use Influenced Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan?

Author

Listed:
  • Trinh Xuan Thi Nguyen

    (School of Economics, Hiroshima University, 1-2-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 7398525, Japan)

  • Sumeet Lal

    (School of Economics, Hiroshima University, 1-2-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 7398525, Japan)

  • Sulemana Abdul-Salam

    (School of Economics, Hiroshima University, 1-2-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 7398525, Japan)

  • Pattaphol Yuktadatta

    (School of Economics, Hiroshima University, 1-2-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 7398525, Japan)

  • Louis McKinnon

    (Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, 530 Evans Hall # 3880, Berkeley, CA 94720-3880, USA)

  • Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan

    (School of Economics, Hiroshima University, 1-2-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 7398525, Japan)

  • Yoshihiko Kadoya

    (School of Economics, Hiroshima University, 1-2-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 7398525, Japan)

Abstract

The influence of smartphone use on increased risk of feeling lonely has been recognized as a global public health concern. However, it is unclear whether this influence has changed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, during which smartphones have become a particularly important means of communication due to health safety measures restricting personal interactions. We used Hiroshima University’s online survey data collected from 18–28 February 2022, to assess the impact of smartphone use on loneliness in Japan. The final sample included 2630 participants aged over 20 years, with loneliness measured using the UCLA scale and smartphone use calculated as the duration of usage in minutes/day. Weighted logit regression analysis was used to examine the association between smartphone use and loneliness, with other demographic, socioeconomic, and psychological characteristics as explanatory variables. Contrary to conventional evidence, our findings show that smartphone use mitigated the risk of loneliness during the pandemic. This was especially true among females under 65 years old. We found that age, subjective health status, future anxiety, and depression impacted this relationship. The findings of this study can help guide policymaking by showing the importance of providing adequate digital platforms to manage loneliness and mental health during times of isolation.

Suggested Citation

  • Trinh Xuan Thi Nguyen & Sumeet Lal & Sulemana Abdul-Salam & Pattaphol Yuktadatta & Louis McKinnon & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2022. "Has Smartphone Use Influenced Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-12, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:17:p:10540-:d:896188
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/17/10540/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/17/10540/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Pattaphol Yuktadatta & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2022. "Who Became Lonely during the COVID-19 Pandemic? An Investigation of the Socioeconomic Aspects of Loneliness in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-18, May.
    2. Shunsuke Ono & Pattaphol Yuktadatta & Takafumi Taniguchi & Tomoe Iitsuka & Masafumi Noguchi & Sawa Tanaka & Haruka Ito & Kousei Nakamura & Nanako Yasuhara & Chihiro Miyawaki & Katsumi Mikura & Mostafa, 2021. "Financial Literacy and Exercise Behavior: Evidence from Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Trinh Xuan Thi Nguyen & Sumeet Lal & Sulemana Abdul-Salam & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2022. "Financial Literacy, Financial Education, and Cancer Screening Behavior: Evidence from Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-17, April.
    4. Katharina Diehl & Charlotte Jansen & Kamila Ishchanova & Jennifer Hilger-Kolb, 2018. "Loneliness at Universities: Determinants of Emotional and Social Loneliness among Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-14, August.
    5. Meredith E. David & James A. Roberts, 2021. "Smartphone Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social Versus Physical Distancing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-8, January.
    6. Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2021. "Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison between Older and Younger People," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-15, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Laura Orsolini & Giulio Longo & Umberto Volpe, 2023. "The Mediatory Role of the Boredom and Loneliness Dimensions in the Development of Problematic Internet Use," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-15, March.
    2. Abdul-Salam Sulemana & Trinh Xuan Thi Nguyen & Sumeet Lal & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2023. "Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison of Urban and Rural Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-12, August.
    3. Xuejiao Chen & Kai Zhang & Yanting Huang, 2023. "Effect of Social Loneliness on Tourist Happiness: A Mediation Analysis Based on Smartphone Usage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-22, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sumeet Lal & Trinh Xuan Thi Nguyen & Abdul-Salam Sulemana & Pattaphol Yuktadatta & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2022. "A Longitudinal Study on Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Abdul-Salam Sulemana & Trinh Xuan Thi Nguyen & Sumeet Lal & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2023. "Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison of Urban and Rural Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-12, August.
    3. Honoka Nabeshima & Yu Kuramoto & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2023. "Does the Easing of COVID-19 Restrictive Measures Improve Loneliness Conditions? Evidence from Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-14, December.
    4. Pattaphol Yuktadatta & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2021. "Financial Literacy and Exercise Behavior in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-17, August.
    5. Pongpat Putthinun & Somtip Watanapongvanich & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2021. "Financial Literacy and Alcohol Drinking Behavior: Evidence from Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-13, August.
    6. Livia Jonnatan & Cherisse L. Seaton & Kathy L. Rush & Eric P. H. Li & Khalad Hasan, 2022. "Mobile Device Usage before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Rural and Urban Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-17, July.
    7. Matylda Sierakowska & Halina Doroszkiewicz, 2022. "Psychosocial Determinants of Loneliness in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-15, September.
    8. Abdul-Salam Sulemana & Sumeet Lal & Trinh Xuan Thi Nguyen & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2023. "Pandemic Fatigue in Japan: Factors Affecting the Declining COVID-19 Preventive Measures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-17, April.
    9. Beata Dziedzic & Paulina Sarwa & Ewa Kobos & Zofia Sienkiewicz & Anna Idzik & Mariusz Wysokiński & Wiesław Fidecki, 2021. "Loneliness and Depression among Polish High-School Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-11, February.
    10. Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Trinh Xuan Thi Nguyen & Sumeet Lal & Somtip Watanapongvanich & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2022. "Hesitancy towards the Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine among the Younger Generation in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-13, June.
    11. Rosario Padial-Ruz & José Antonio Pérez-Turpin & Mar Cepero-González & Félix Zurita-Ortega, 2019. "Effects of Physical Self-Concept, Emotional Isolation, and Family Functioning on Attitudes towards Physical Education in Adolescents: Structural Equation Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-16, December.
    12. Matey, Juabin, 2021. "Financial Literacy and Consumer Financial Well-being in Ghana: Any Nexus with Economic Stability?," MPRA Paper 110351, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 10 Oct 2021.
    13. Levkov Nikola & Bogoevska-Gavrilova Irena & Trajkovska Milica, 2022. "Profile and Financial Behaviour of Crypto Adopters – Evidence from Macedonian Population Survey," South East European Journal of Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 17(2), pages 172-185, December.
    14. Guangfan Sun & Xiangyu Cao & Junyi Chen & Hanqi Li, 2022. "Food Culture and Sustainable Development: Evidence from Firm-Level Sustainable Total Factor Productivity in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-25, July.
    15. Ines Testoni & Silvia Piol & Diego De Leo, 2021. "Suicide Prevention: University Students’ Narratives on Their Reasons for Living and for Dying," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-15, July.
    16. Yoshihiko Kadoya & Somtip Watanapongvanich & Pattaphol Yuktadatta & Pongpat Putthinun & Stella T. Lartey & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan, 2021. "Willing or Hesitant? A Socioeconomic Study on the Potential Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-18, May.
    17. Takuya Katauke & Sayaka Fukuda & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan & Yoshihiko Kadoya, 2023. "Financial Literacy and Impulsivity: Evidence from Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-14, April.
    18. Rosario Padial-Ruz & Gloria González-Campos & Félix Zurita-Ortega & M. Esther Puga-González, 2020. "Associations between Feelings of Loneliness and Attitudes towards Physical Education in Contemporary Adolescents According to Sex, and Physical Activity Engagement," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-14, July.
    19. Ilaria Riboldi & Chiara Alessandra Capogrosso & Susanna Piacenti & Angela Calabrese & Susanna Lucini Paioni & Francesco Bartoli & Cristina Crocamo & Giuseppe Carrà & Jo Armes & Cath Taylor, 2023. "Mental Health and COVID-19 in University Students: Findings from a Qualitative, Comparative Study in Italy and the UK," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-18, February.
    20. Andrea Guazzini & Andrea Pesce & Lorena Marotta & Mirko Duradoni, 2022. "Through the Second Wave: Analysis of the Psychological and Perceptive Changes in the Italian Population during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-12, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:17:p:10540-:d:896188. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.