Problematic Smartphone Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Its Association with Pandemic-Related and Generalized Beliefs

Meng Xuan Zhang, Juliet Honglei Chen, Kwok Kit Tong, Eilo Wing-yat Yu and Anise M. S. Wu
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Meng Xuan Zhang: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
Juliet Honglei Chen: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
Kwok Kit Tong: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
Eilo Wing-yat Yu: Department of Government and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
Anise M. S. Wu: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Smartphone technologies have played a crucial role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the increased use of smartphones during the pandemic period may expose the general public to a higher risk of problematic smartphone use (PSU). This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PSU among Chinese community adults and adopted a social-cognitive theory and social axiom framework to evaluate the effects of beliefs on PSU. A Chinese adult sample ( N = 616) was obtained through probability sampling via a telephone survey from Macao, China and included 591 smartphone users’ data (39.4% men) for formal analysis. The prevalence of PSU was 43.3% in the overall sample, with 41.9% in women, and 45.5% in men. Two types of beliefs derived from the social-cognitive theory, pandemic-related self-efficacy and government efficacy, both showed significant and negative correlations with PSU ( r = ?0.13 and ?0.10, p < 0.05). As for the two beliefs from the social axiom framework, reward for application was negatively correlated with PSU ( r = ?0.10, p < 0.05), whereas social cynicism was positively associated with PSU ( r = 0.25, p < 0.001). Among those four beliefs, social cynicism exerted the most substantial effect on PSU when controlling for demographics. Our findings enriched the understanding of PSU during the pandemic and provided empirical direction regarding cognition-based intervention strategies for reducing PSU.

Keywords: COVID-19; pandemic; problematic smartphone use; pandemic-related beliefs; generalized social beliefs; social axioms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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