Psychological Correlates of Problematic Smartphone Use

Many people can no longer imagine everyday life without their smartphone, which has become a constant companion. This constant possibility of use blurs the boundaries between healthy and problematic smartphone use behaviour. Problematic usage behaviour is understood as the inability to regulate the use of the smartphone, which ultimately has negative consequences for daily life. This can include symptoms such as withdrawal symptoms (when the device is not available), tolerance development (consumption has to be intensified to get the same level of satisfaction), dangerous consumption (e.g. when driving) and conflicts with the social environment due to the consumption behaviour.

The background of the project is to create a more holistic picture of problematic smartphone use. For this purpose, the project will focus on different influencing factors that favour problematic smartphone use as well as on the effects of problematic smartphone use. For this purpose, the focus is first on the influencing factors of personality and psychopathology as essential factors in order to be able to determine at an early stage which groups of people have particularly strong tendencies with regard to problematic smartphone use and to be able to apply targeted interventions. After the main influencing factors have been determined, the effects of problematic smartphone use will be focused on. For this purpose, the effects on self-esteem, stress perception and cognitive abilities are elaborated and placed in the context of the different types of use. In this way, programmes or types of use that have a negative impact on individuals can be specifically identified and thus avoided.