The relationship between smartphone addiction, gender, externality and failure avoidance

Introduction. Numerous studies have reported a direct relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological distress: depression, anxiety, stress, decreased self-esteem and self-control, loneliness, impulsivity, neuroticism, problems with sleep, health, quality of life and life dissatisfaction. The purpose of the reported study is to identify links between smartphone addiction, externality, motivation to avoid failure, and components of gender. Materials and Methods. Smartphone addiction was assessed using the short version of Smartphone Dependency Scale questionnaire (V. Sheinov), gender was assessed with S. Bem’s questionnaire, locus of control with the modified I-E scale (J. Rotter), achievement motivation with A. Mekhrabian’s questionnaire; dependence on social networks with ZSS-15 questionnaire (V. Sheinov). The respondents also answered questions about their relationships with parents. The study involved 506 students, teachers and parents (M=18.45 years, SD=2.4), 261 (51%) women and 245 (49%) men. The data were obtained in student groups and through social networks. The sample included students from different fields of study: economics, chemistry, pedagogy, cultural studies, computer science, forestry, rescue work, etc. Results. Smartphone addiction is positively associated with externality and motivation to avoid failures, social media addiction, femininity and “gender difference”. It is negatively associated with masculinity and “gender sum”. A greater dependence on smartphone in women can be explained by the fact that women are much more represented by femininity. Family relationships affect smartphone addiction: the worse the relationships with parents, the stronger smartphone addiction. The data testify to the acceleration of androgynization in young people. Some links generally correspond to correlations established in foreign studies. The established links between smartphone addiction and psychological gender are new for domestic and foreign studies. Conclusions. Teachers are advised to raise the awareness of school and university students about the benefits of direct communication and negative consequences of smartphone addiction. This makes the reported study practically relevant.