Profiles of Mobile Phone Use, Cyberbullying, and Emotional Intelligence in Adolescents

Inmaculada Méndez, Ana Belén Jorquera, Cecilia Ruiz Esteban and José Manuel García-Fernández
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Inmaculada Méndez: Department of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Campus Regional Excellence Mare Nostrum, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Ana Belén Jorquera: Department of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Campus Regional Excellence Mare Nostrum, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Cecilia Ruiz Esteban: Department of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Campus Regional Excellence Mare Nostrum, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
José Manuel García-Fernández: Department of Developmental Psychology and Didactics, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 22, 1-10

Abstract: The use of mobile phones has great benefits for communication. However, evidence has shown that problematic use, such as cyberbullying, can also be associated with mobile phones. In this sense, emotional regulation plays an important role. The objective of this study was to identify different groups that varied in terms of conflicts related to problematic mobile phone use (namely, maladaptive communication and emotional patterns). Furthermore, the study aimed to examine whether there were significant differences in the dimensions of emotional intelligence and cyberbullying between adolescents with a mobile phone use problem. The study participants were 810 students aged between 12 and 16 years. The Emotional Coefficient Inventory questionnaire about cyberbullying and a questionnaire on experiences related to mobile phones were used. The cluster analysis identified three different types of mobile phone use: A group displaying no problematic use, a group displaying moderately problematic use, and a group displaying problematic use. The study results motivate carrying out stress management programs, emotional re-education, and other actions that reinforce emotional intelligence.

Keywords: mobile use; emotion regulation; adolescence; cyberbullying; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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