Excessive Smartphone Use and Self-Esteem Among Adults With Internet Gaming Disorder: Quantitative Survey Study

Abstract

Background Smartphone overuse can harm individual health and well-being. Although several studies have explored the relationship between problematic or excessive smartphone use and mental health, much less is known about effects on self-esteem, which is essential in having a healthy life, among adults with mental health disorders, including internet gaming disorder. Furthermore, given that smartphone usage differs by gender, little is known about gender differences in the relationship between smartphone overuse and self-esteem. Objective The objective of this study was to assess self-esteem among individuals with mental health disorders and explore the relationship with excessive smartphone use. Methods Participants were selected based on their responses to the internet gaming disorder assessment, which includes 9 items developed based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) criteria, from among a Korean cohort of smartphone users aged 20-40 years, resulting in a sample of 189 participants (men:120, women: 69). The Rosenberg self-esteem scale and the Korean smartphone addiction proneness scale were utilized to assess the outcome self-esteem with excessive smartphone use as the primary independent variable. Guided by the Bowlby attachment theory and prior studies, we selected several covariates. Generalized linear regression analyses, as well as subgroup analyses by gender, were performed. Results Among adults with internet gaming disorder, the average Korean smartphone addiction proneness scale score was significantly higher in women than that in men (41.30 vs. 37.94; P=.001), and excessive smartphone use was significantly more prevalent in women than it was in men (30.43% vs. 20.83%; P=.02). Our findings from the generalized linear regression analyses indicated that an increase in Korean smartphone addiction proneness scale score had a negative relationship with self-esteem among those with internet gaming disorder (β=–0.18, P=.001). Furthermore, our interaction models showed that, among those with internet gaming disorder, more men than women had lower self-esteem associated with an increase in Korean smartphone addiction proneness scale score and a high degree of smartphone overuse (β=–0.19, P=.004; β=–3.73, P<.001). Conclusions Excessive smartphone use was found to be adversely associated with self-esteem among young and middle-aged adults with internet gaming disorder; notably, more men than women were negatively influenced (regarding self-esteem) by smartphone overuse. Based on our findings, more efforts should be made to reduce excessive or problematic smartphone use by considering developing public health interventions or policy, particularly among those with mental health disorders such as internet gaming disorder.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Problematic Use of Smartphones Among Adults in Qassim, Saudi Arabia: Cross-sectional Survey

“…However, a multicenter study among Saudi university students showed that female students were more affected [ 18 ]. A study in Korea also reported that excessive use of smartphone and smartphone addiction–proneness is higher among females [ 6 ]. Furthermore, De-Sola Gutierrez et al [ 8 ] reported that all the studies included in their review indicated that women or girls have higher levels of dependence and problematic use than men or boys [ 8 , 29 ].…”

“…They propose moving away from the addiction framework when studying technological behaviors and using, instead, terms such as “problematic use” to describe them [ 2 ]. Nevertheless, excessive and problematic use of smartphone negatively impacts people’s lives, including their self-esteem [ 6 ]. The problematic use of a smartphone can be defined as “an inability to regulate one’s use of the mobile phone, which eventually involves negative consequences in daily life (e.g.…”

A transdiagnostic model of low self-esteem: pathway analysis in a heterogeneous clinical sample

“…Decreased self-esteem plays a role in obsessive-compulsive disorders (Coughtrey et al, 2018), psychosis (Tarrier et al, 2004;Xu et al, 2013). Furthermore, LSE is also related to addictive behaviours (Arsandaux et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2020), and self-harm or suicide attempts (Bhar et al, 2008;Palmer, 2004;Tarrier et al, 2004;Wisman et al, 2015). LSE has been shown to have a significant effect on people's lives, not just in the context of psychopathology, but in a broader sense; for instance, dropping out of school early, teenage pregnancy and poor lifelong employment history (Mann et al, 2004;Waite et al, 2012).…”

The relationship between self-esteem and problematic smartphone use: the mediating role of aggressiveness

“…Revealing the mechanisms that in uence problematic smartphone use is an important prerequisite for reducing the occurrence of this behavior. Problematic smartphone use has been tentatively suggested by researchers to be negatively related to self-esteem [10][11][12]. Self-esteem is a stable personality trait that Rosenberg [13] de ned as a person's overall opinion of their own value.…”