Smartphone addiction, anxiety, depression and stress in Mexican nursing students.

Abstract

Introduction: Cell phones have increased as a new communication technology in the modern world.

Objective: To determine whether smartphone addiction is significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among university nursing students in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico.

Material and methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study involved 212 students who voluntarily participated. Data were collected using two questionnaires: the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV) and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The information was then analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear and simple logistic regression models.

Results: 46.70% (99) use their phones for more than 5 hours a day, and 38.20% (68) of the students presented smartphone addiction. Simple linear regression models showed a significant association between SAS-SV scores and DASS- 21 subscale scores. Simple logistic regression models indicated that students with cell phone addiction are 2.57 times more likely to suffer from depression, 2.50 times more likely to experience anxiety, and 3.34 times more likely to suffer from stress compared to those without cell phone addiction.

Discussion: Cell phone addiction was associated with such mental disorders among Mexican university students.

Conclusions: These results could assist educational authorities in developing and implementing strategies to prevent depression, anxiety, and stress associated with smartphone use.