Cumhur DEMİRALP, Başaran GENÇDOĞAN
Bağımlılık Dergisi - 2026;27(3):183-198
Objective: This study examined the relationships among problematic smartphone use, problematic internet use, social connectedness, and social phobia among university students. Using a cross-sectional quantitative design, the study was conducted with 279 students enrolled at a public university in eastern Türkiye during the 2020-2021 academic year, selected through convenience sampling. Method: Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Smartphone Addiction Scale, the Problematic Internet Use Scale, the Social Connectedness Scale, and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analyses, independent-samples t tests, one-way analysis of variance, the Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Scheffé post hoc tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The findings showed that problematic smartphone use was positively associated with problematic internet use and the anxiety and avoidance dimensions of social phobia but negatively associated with social connectedness. In addition, social avoidance and social connectedness significantly predicted problematic smartphone use, whereas social anxiety and social connectedness significantly predicted problematic internet use. Conclusion: Overall, higher levels of problematic technology use were associated with greater social phobia and lower social connectedness among university students.
