The relationship between problematic smartphone use and psychiatric symptoms among adolescents who applied to psychiatry clinics

Problematic mobile phone use is an important problem which has increasing prevalence among adolescents. We should address risk factors to create intervention frameworks related to this problem. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of problematic smartphone use among adolescents who were referred to clinics, its relationship to sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric symptoms and emotion regulation problems. We included 150 adolescents aged 12-18 years who own smartphones. All participants filled out the Sociodemographic Information Form, Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale (PMPUS). Problematic smart phone use was detected in 50.6% of the sample. Adolescents with problematic use were found to be older than the others, with lower levels of maternal education and self-achievement. Regression analysis revealed that the factors predicting the risk of problematic smartphone use are somatization, interpersonal sensitivity and hostility symptoms. According to our results, we suggest psychiatrists consider the high prevalence of problematic smartphone use, address the relationship between hostility, somatic symptoms and interpersonal sensitivity (susceptibility) and the effects of this current problem on social-academic functioning while evaluating and treating adolescents.