A test of the pathway model of problematic smartphone use

Abstract

Background and aimsProblematic smartphone use (PSU) has been described as a growing public health issue. In the current study, we aimed to provide a unique and comprehensive test of the pathway model of PSU. This model posits three distinct developmental pathways leading to PSU: (1) the excessive reassurance pathway, (2) the impulsive pathway and (3) the extraversion pathway.MethodsUndergraduate students (n = 795, 69.8% female, mean age = 23.80 years, sd = 3.02) completed online self-report measures of PSU (addictive use, antisocial use and dangerous use) and the psychological features (personality traits and psychopathological symptoms) underlying the three pathways.ResultsBayesian analyses revealed that addictive use is mainly driven by the excessive reassurance pathway and the impulsive pathway, for which candidate etiopathological factors include heightened negative urgency, a hyperactive behavioural inhibition system and symptoms of social anxiety. Dangerous and antisocial use are mainly driven by the impulsive pathway and the extraversion pathway, for which candidate etiopathological factors include specific impulsivity components (lack of premeditation and sensation seeking) and primary psychopathy (inclination to lie, lack of remorse, callousness and manipulativeness).Discussion and conclusionsThe present study constitutes the first comprehensive test of the pathway model of PSU. We provide robust and original results regarding the psychological dimensions associated with each of the postulated pathways of PSU, which should be taken into account when considering regulation of smartphone use or tailoring prevention protocols to reduce problematic usage patterns.

Anxiety sensitivity mediates relations between anxiety (but not depression) and problematic smartphone use severity, adjusting for age and sex, in Chinese adolescents early in the COVID ‐19 pandemic

“…Further, Duke and Montag (2017) highlight that a smartphone can become a learned cue related to the aforementioned channels/content and may be sufficient to elicit cue-reactivity on its own. As perhaps the pre-eminent method of accessing the internet today (Montag et al, 2021) and consistent with current research seeking to identify general risk factors that promote smartphone-mediated problematic behaviors (Billieux et al, 2015;Canale et al, 2021), PSU may be the current driving force behind disordered use of the internet but should not be placed in the same category as drug and alcohol use disorders.…”

The Overlap Between Problematic Smartphone Use and Problematic Social Media Use: a Systematic Review

“…From the framework proposed by Billieux and colleagues [12,15], PSU is described as a multi-faceted phenomenon entailing a variety of dysfunctional manifestations (addictive, antisocial, and dangerous use), each being associated with distinct developmental pathways, including (1) excessive reassurance (e.g. the need to maintain relationships and obtain reassurance from others), ( 2) impulsivity (mainly driven by poor impulse control, which in turn might result in uncontrolled urges and dysregulated use), and (3) extraversion [e.g.…”

Problematic Smartphone Use and Problematic Social Media Use: The Predictive Role of Self-Construal and the Mediating Effect of Fear Missing Out

“…A recent study conducted by Canale et al ( 10 ), which used a Bayesian analyses approach, provided the first comprehensive test of the pathway model of PSU as posited by Billieux et al ( 1 ). The results of the study indicated that each path (i.e., excessive reassurance, impulsive, and extraversion), was associated with distinct psychosocial and psychopathological variables.…”