Abstract
Our previous study suggested that early adolescents with higher severity of excessive smartphone use (ESU) had significantly poorer outcomes in their health-related quality of life. A follow-up study investigated the gender differences in the influence of ESU on their physical and mental health by recruiting 463 early adolescents in Hong Kong. The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) measured their physical and mental health. It consisted of eight scales: (1) physical functioning (PH), (2) role limitation due to physical health problems (RP), (3) bodily pain (BP), (4) general health (GH), (5) vitality (energy/fatigue) (VT), (6) social functioning (SF), (7) role limitation due to emotional problems (RE), and (8) mental health (MH). The Smartphone Addiction Scale – Short Form evaluated the symptoms of ESU. As compared to their non-ESU counterparts, early female adolescents had significantly lower health-related quality of life across all eight scales of SF-36, whereas early male adolescents only had significantly lower health-related quality of life in four scales (GH, VT, SF, MH) (p < 0.01). To further explore the subjective experience of female adolescents regarding the influence of ESU, in-depth interviews were conducted with 5 female adolescents. Consistent with the quantitative measures, most interviewees (n = 3) had worsened physical functioning, including bodily pain, sleep problems, and fatigue. In contrast, many reported improvements in mental health (n = 3) with expanding social circles, maintaining friendships, and being motivated to change. The findings suggest a gap between the objective and subjective influence of ESU on early female adolescents.
Presenters
Mei Chun CheungAssociate Professor, Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Joanne Yip
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Yiu Hong Wong
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Yuk Man Leung
Research Assistant, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Physiology, Kinesiology and Psychology of Wellness in its Social Context
KEYWORDS
Excessive smartphone use, Health-related quality of life, Early female adolescents
