The Effects of Anxiety and Self-Control on Smartphone Addiction Among Children and Adolescents at Risk for Depression

Background/Objectives: Research comprehensively analyzing the psychological characteristics and factors related to smartphone addiction in Korean children and adolescents at risk for depression remains scarce. This study utilized large-scale cohort data to examine the differences in psychological characteristics between an at-risk group for depression and a control group, and to identify the specific factors influencing smartphone addiction within the at-risk group. Methods: Data were obtained from the school-based cohort of internet and smartphone users conducted by the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), involving a total of 2294 children and adolescents (1009 in the at-risk for depression group and 1285 in the control group). Assessment tools included the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC/TAIC), Self-Esteem Scale (SES), Self-Control Scale, Aggression Questionnaire (K-AQ), School Bullying (SB) scale, and the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Form (SAS-SV). Results: Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the at-risk group exhibited significantly higher levels of anxiety, aggression, involvement in school bullying, and smartphone addiction compared to the control group, while showing lower levels of self-esteem and self-control. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis indicated that higher anxiety and lower self-control were significant predictors of increased smartphone addiction levels. Conclusions: These findings support the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model, which posits that emotional vulnerability and deficits in executive functions lead to addictive behaviors. The results suggest that reducing anxiety and enhancing self-control are critical factors in the prevention of smartphone addiction among children and adolescents.