Mobile Phone Dependence, Social Support and Impulsivity in Chinese University Students

Songli Mei, Jingxin Chai, Shi-Bin Wang, Chee H. Ng, Gabor S. Ungvari and Yu-Tao Xiang
Additional contact information
Songli Mei: School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Jingxin Chai: Hepin Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
Shi-Bin Wang: Guangdong Mental Health Center, Guangdong General Hospital and Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510120, China
Chee H. Ng: Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3050, Australia
Gabor S. Ungvari: Division of Psychiatry, Notre Dame university Australia, Fremantle, WA 6160, Australia
Yu-Tao Xiang: Unit of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-7

Abstract: This study examined the frequency of mobile phone dependence in Chinese university students and explored its association with social support and impulsivity. Altogether, 909 university students were consecutively recruited from a large university in China. Mobile phone use, mobile phone dependence, impulsivity, and social support were measured with standardized instruments. The frequency of possible mobile phone use and mobile phone dependence was 78.3% and 7.4%, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that compared with no mobile phone dependence, possible mobile phone dependence was significantly associated with being male ( p = 0.04, OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.4–0.98), excessive mobile phone use ( p < 0.001, OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.09–1.2), and impulsivity ( p < 0.001, OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.03–1.06), while mobile phone dependence was associated with length of weekly phone use ( p = 0.01, OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2–5.0), excessive mobile phone use ( p < 0.001, OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.2–1.4), and impulsivity ( p < 0.001, OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05–1.1). The frequency of possible mobile phone dependence and mobile phone dependence was high in this sample of Chinese university students. A significant positive association with impulsivity was found, but not with social support.

Keywords: mobile phone dependence; mobile phone use; impulsivity; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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