College Students` Self-Concept and Their Smartphone Addiction: A Correlational Study

Abstract

With the penetration of smartphones into our daily lives, smartphone addiction has become a pressing issue in many countries. Through the lens of individuals` inner properties and psychological traits, this study explores the relationship between college students` self-concept and their smartphone addiction. The self-concept being examined includes psychological, family, and social dimensions of the self. Smartphone addiction comprises aspects of compulsive behavior, withdrawal, tolerance, and functional impairment. Participants were 840 college students recruited from seven public and private universities in the Northern, Middle, Southern, and East part of Taiwan. Five-point survey results showed that, Taiwanese college students` self-concept was fairly good (M = 3.72), and their smartphone addiction score was below the average point (M = 2.80). Yet, the participants were still at the risk of mid-level addiction in reference to past studies. Our study further showed that, overall self-concept and smartphone addiction were highly (and negatively) correlated at the .001 level. Among the three types of self-concept, ＂family self＂ correlated highest with smartphone addiction. Based on the abovementioned results, the researchers provided suggestions for parents, universities, as well as college students to help them become ＂smart＂ users of their smartphones.

智慧型手機愈益普及，卻也帶來智慧型手機成癮等諸多問題。本研究由個體之內在心理層面出發，探討大學生之自我概念與智慧型手機成癮之關聯性。本研究採調查研究法，針對臺灣北、中、南、東七所公私立大學840 位日間部一至四年級學生發放紙本調查問卷，採自陳量表方式作答。結果顯示大學生自我概念良好（M = 3.72），智慧型手機成癮情形相對較弱（M = 2.80），但有轉變為中度成癮的潛在風險。本研究亦發現自我概念與智慧型手機成癮確實存在顯著之關聯性，其中「家庭自我」是關聯性（負相關）最高，而「強迫行為」、「戒斷」、「功能障礙」亦有顯著負相關。研究者綜合各項研究結果及相關文獻，建議大學生能善用智慧型手機特性，提升其人際關係、學習應用與自我價值。研究者期盼本研究能拋磚引玉，激發更多學者投入大學生智慧型手機使用與自我概念等心理因素之研究，俾能發展出更健全的輔導配套措施，以應用在個人、家庭及學校場域之中。