Year: 2026 | Month: August | Volume: 16 | Issue: 8 | Pages: 66-73
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20260807
Prevalence of Smartphone Addiction and Its Relationship with Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Healthy Adult Population
Adeeba Khan1, Pramita Dubey2, Anita Rawat3, Gunjan Mishra4
1PG Resident, Department of Physiology, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Safedabad, Barabanki,
Uttar Pradesh, India.
2Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
3Professor and Head, Department of Physiology, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Ataria, Sitapur,
Uttar Pradesh, India.
4Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Safedabad, Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Corresponding Author: Adeeba Khan
ABSTRACT
Background: Excessive smartphone use is increasingly recognised as a behavioural health concern, particularly among young adults, and has been associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. The present study estimated the prevalence of smartphone addiction and examined its relationship with these psychological parameters.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of smartphone addiction, describe depression, anxiety, and stress separately, and evaluate their associations with smartphone addiction among apparently healthy adults.
Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 74 apparently healthy adults aged 18-30 years at Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Safedabad, Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. Participants were recruited by convenience sampling. Smartphone addiction was assessed using the study Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) classification, while depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using the DASS-21. Data were analysed in IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.1 using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. A two-sided p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of participants was 23.4 ± 3.2 years; 40 (54.05%) were male and 34 (45.95%) were female. Smartphone addiction was present in 50/74 participants (67.56%). Depression, anxiety, and stress were present in 56 (75.68%), 38 (51.35%), and 43 (58.11%) participants, respectively. Mean raw DASS-21 scores were 4.62 ± 3.24 for depression, 4.14 ± 3.98 for anxiety, and 6.46 ± 3.83 for stress. Smartphone addiction showed a positive correlation with depression (r=0.42, p=0.00020) and anxiety (r=0.29, p=0.01220), whereas the correlation with stress was not statistically significant (r=0.12, p=0.30849). In multiple linear regression, depression remained independently associated with smartphone addiction score (B=0.68, 95% CI 0.30-1.06, β=0.28, p=0.004); anxiety (B=0.38, 95% CI -0.20 to 0.96, p=0.227) and stress (B=0.23, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.59, p=0.393) were not independently associated. The model explained 32% of variance (R²=0.32; adjusted R²=0.29; F (3,70) =10.45; p=0.000009).
Conclusion: Smartphone addiction was common in this young adult sample and was associated with depression and anxiety in bivariate analysis. Depression remained independently associated after simultaneous adjustment for anxiety and stress. Because the study was cross-sectional, these findings represent associations and do not establish the direction of effect or causality.
Key words: smartphone addiction; depression; anxiety; stress; young adults; DASS-21