Gender-specific differences in smartphone addiction, body image, eating disorders, and physical activity: a cross-sectional investigation.

IF 3.8 3区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Frontiers in Psychology Pub Date : 2026-10-02 eCollection Date: 2026-01-01 DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1823725

Bijad S Alqahtani, Khalid M Alkhathami, Shajiya Sarwar Moosa, Mohammad Ahsan

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Abstract

Introduction: Smartphone addiction, body image concerns, eating disorders, and physical activity are interconnected issues affecting many young people, regardless of gender. This study examines differences in smartphone addiction, body image, eating disorders, and physical activity between male and female participants.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 318 university students (168 males, 150 females) in Saudi Arabia. There average age was of 20.86 ± 3.47 years, a height of 168.24 ± 11.36 cm, and a weight of 65.26 ± 18.32 kg. Data were collected via an online survey using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV), Body Image Questionnaire (BIQ-19), Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q 6.0) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). All instruments demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach's α > 0.70) in previous validation studies. Statistical analysis employed Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis tests with a significance level of p < 0.05.

Results: No significant differences were found in smartphones addiction (z = -0.64, p = 0.52), body image (z = -0.32, p = 0.75), physical activity (z = -0.61, p = 54). Whereas a significant difference was found in eating disorder (z = 2.91, p = 0.004), with female showing higher prevalence (88%) compare to male (76%). Sub-scales revealed significant within-group differences for all variables.

Conclusion: This study revealed insignificant gender differences for smartphone addiction, body image, and physical activity levels except eating disorders. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and objective measures to clarify causal pathways and gender-specific mechanisms for all related variables.

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智能手机成瘾、身体形象、饮食失调和身体活动的性别差异：一项横断面调查。

导言：智能手机成瘾、身体形象担忧、饮食失调和体育活动是影响许多年轻人的相互关联的问题，无论性别如何。这项研究调查了男性和女性参与者在智能手机成瘾、身体形象、饮食失调和体育活动方面的差异。方法：对沙特阿拉伯318名大学生（男168名，女150名）进行横断面研究。平均年龄20.86±3.47岁，身高168.24±11.36 cm，体重65.26±18.32 kg。采用智能手机成瘾简易量表（SAS-SV）、身体形象问卷（BIQ-19）、饮食失调检查问卷（ed - q 6.0）和国际体育活动问卷（IPAQ-SF）进行在线调查。在先前的验证研究中，所有仪器都具有可接受的信度（Cronbach's α > 0.70）。统计学分析采用Mann-Whitney U检验和Kruskal-Wallis检验，显著性水平p < 0.05。结果：在智能手机成瘾（z = -0.64, p = 0.52）、身体形象（z = -0.32, p = 0.75）、体育活动（z = -0.61, p = 54）方面无显著差异。然而，在饮食失调方面存在显著差异（z = 2.91, p = 0.004），女性的患病率（88%）高于男性（76%）。子量表显示所有变量的组内差异显著。结论：本研究显示，除了饮食失调外，智能手机成瘾、身体形象和身体活动水平的性别差异不显著。未来的研究应采用纵向设计和客观措施，以澄清所有相关变量的因果途径和性别机制。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

13.20%

发文量

7396

审稿时长

14 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Psychology is the largest journal in its field, publishing rigorously peer-reviewed research across the psychological sciences, from clinical research to cognitive science, from perception to consciousness, from imaging studies to human factors, and from animal cognition to social psychology. Field Chief Editor Axel Cleeremans at the Free University of Brussels is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians and the public worldwide. The journal publishes the best research across the entire field of psychology. Today, psychological science is becoming increasingly important at all levels of society, from the treatment of clinical disorders to our basic understanding of how the mind works. It is highly interdisciplinary, borrowing questions from philosophy, methods from neuroscience and insights from clinical practice - all in the goal of furthering our grasp of human nature and society, as well as our ability to develop new intervention methods.