Dilara GENÇ, İrep KARATAŞ ERAY
Türkiye Aile Hekimliği Dergisi - 2026;30(1):21-28
Objective: Smartphones, now ubiquitous across the globe, have the potential to contribute to behavioral addiction. Among the psychological concerns linked to such addictions are depression and anxiety. This study aimed to investigate potential associations between smartphone addiction and symptoms of depression and anxiety in a sample of young adults. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted over a two-month period among 512 university students. Participants completed a questionnaire comprising sociodemographic information and smartphone usage patterns, along with the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Group comparisons were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to assess the strength and direction of associations. Results: The study population consisted of young adults with a mean age of 20.45 +/- 1.95 years.A statistically significant relationship was found between depression-based on cut-off values-and smartphone addiction (p=0.001). Moreover, weak but statistically significant positive associations were observed between smartphone addiction and both depression (r=0.232, p=0.001) and anxiety (r=0.209, p=0.001). Participants who self-identified as smartphone addicts reported significantly higher SAS-SV scores compared to those who were unsure or did not consider themselves addicted (p=0.001). Conclusions: The findings demonstrate a significant association between smartphone addiction and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Given that individuals perceiving themselves as addicted exhibited notably higher addiction scores, self-perception may serve as a useful indicator in preventive mental health approaches-particularly within the context of primary care.
