ISSN (Print) : 0974-6846

ISSN (Online) : 0974-5645

Indian Journal of Science and Technology, Vol 9(41), DOI: 10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i41/103844, November 2016

The Influence of Smartphone Addiction on

Depression and Communication Competence
among College Students
Young-Sook Kwon1 and Kyung -Shin Paek2*
Department of Nursing, Joongbu University, Geumsan-Gun, Chungnam, 32713, Korea; yskwon@jbm.ac.kr
1

2
Department of Nursing, Semyung University, Jecheon-City, Chungbuk, 27136, Korea; kspaek@semyung.ac.kr,

Abstract
Objectives: This study is to investigate the relationships among depression, communication competence and lev-
el of Smartphone addiction and to identify factors related to Smartphone addiction of college students. Methods/
Statistical Analysis: Participants in this cross-sectional survey were 293 undergraduate students. Data were col-
lected from August 28 to September 15, 2015 using the self-report questionnaire. Findings: 14.7% of participants
have a risk group of Smartphone addiction. Depression (r = .407, p<.001) was positively related to Smartphone addic-
tion and communication competence (r = -.281, p<.001) was negatively related to Smartphone addiction. Depression
(ß = .302, p<.001), communication competence (ß =-.148, p<.01), daily Smartphone using time (ß = .144, p<.01), grade
(ß = .136, p<.01), academic achievement (ß = .119, p<.05) and gender (ß = .117, p<.05) were identified as significant
predictors of Smartphone addiction. Improvements/Applications: These findings support the importance of estab-
lishing intervention strategies designed to decrease depression of students to help them prevent Smartphone addiction.

Keywords: Addiction, College Student, Communication, Competence, Smartphone

1. Introduction lead to many problems such as low academic achieve-

Smartphone is rapidly widespread which is not limited
by time and place as a miniature mobile computer and
is conveniently used1. The Smartphone penetration rate
is reported to reach about 84.1% of household in Korea,
20142. It is used for messenger, voice call, surfing the
web and taking photos as well as SNS3. Especially, young
people expand their opportunities for making social rela-
tionships using Smartphone4. It has become one of the
most important academic and recreational tools for ado-
lescents and young adults5.
With the greater availability of the Smartphone, exces-
sive Smartphone use for adolescents and young adults can
ment6, interpersonal distress7 and maladjustment of
school life8, sleeping disturbance9, depression10, psycho-
logical distress11 and Smartphone addiction1.
The Smartphone addiction refers to having a distur-
bance in one’s daily lives and resistance to Smartphones
and withdrawal symptoms by excessive Smartphone use12.
By the data derived from National Information Society
Agency12, the rate of a risk group for Smartphone addic-
tion increased from 11.8% in 2013 to 14.2% in 2015. 3.3%
of teenage, 3.4% of the twenties were a high- risk group
for Smartphone addiction and were reported 3 times of
high-risk group rate for forties. Also, according to occu-

*Author for correspondence

 The Influence of Smartphone Addiction on Depression and Communication Competence among College Students
pational categories, college students have the highest rate
of risk group to Smartphone addiction.
People with Smartphone addiction may encounter
difficulties with interpersonal adjustments13 and experi-
ence greater difficult with face-to-face communication14,
15
. Previous studies 1,3,6,16,17 has demonstrated that social-
environmental factors such as parent-child relationship,
child-rearing attitude, communication pattern, attach-
ment, relationship with friends, adjustment of school life,
academic achievement have a significant effect on mobile
phone addiction for an adolescent. Psychological factors
such as impulsivity, depression, loneliness, self-efficacy,
self-control, self-esteem, stress may be significantly asso-
ciated with mobile phone addiction.
However, the studies about the relationship of
Smartphone addiction with social-environmental fac-
tors and psychological factors are still under debate and
it requires a further research16,18. In the past several years,
most of the studies have been conducted on a mobile
phone and Internet addiction19. Little research has spe-
cifically explored Smartphone addiction1. Most studies
about Smartphone addiction focus on adolescent, instead
of college students20.
College life is a transition period from adolescent to
adult and a major life change. Students have more free-
dom of life, lots of time than in adolescents and are free
to use Smartphone21,22. They can suffer from job seeking,
economic problems, romantic relationships, moving to
independent lifestyle and vale establishing as an adult22,23.
To run away from these problems, they can immerse
themselves in the use of a Smartphone and are more
likely to addict to a Smartphone than other age groups24.
Therefore, this study is to investigate the relationships
among depression, communication competence and level
of Smartphone addiction and to evaluate factors related to
Smartphone addiction of college students.
2.  Materials and Methods
The participants were college students aged 19-29 years
who were attending the university of J city in Korea. This
study involved 293 undergraduate students conveniently
selected. Data were collected by using questionnaires.
2 Vol 9 (41) | November 2016 | www.indjst.org
Smartphone addiction was evaluated using instru-
ment developed from National Information Society
Agency (NISA)12. It consists of 15 items with a 4-point
scale. NISA suggested the classification of the total score
into 3 groups: A general group (those who total score
39 or less), a potential risk group (those who total score
between 40 and 43) and a high-risk group (those who
total score 44 or higher). The Cronbach’s alpha reliability
coefficient was .86.
Depression was assessed based on Beck Depression
Inventory-II (BDI-II)25. It consists of 21 items with a
4-point scale. A total BDI-II score of 14 or higher indi-
cates clinically significant depression. The Cronbach’s
alpha reliability coefficient was .90.
Communication competence was measured using
scale developed by26. It consists of 15 items with a 5-point
scale. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was .85.
Data were analyzed descriptively to examine the
general characteristics of the participants, the level of
Smartphone addiction, depression and communica-
tion competence. ANOVA and t-test were conducted to
examine the Smartphone addiction based on the general
characteristics of the participants. Pearson correlation
coefficients were calculated to ascertain the relationship
between the Smartphone addiction, depression and com-
munication competence. Hierarchical multiple regression
analysis was used to investigate the influencing factors of
Smartphone addiction. All analyses were evaluated using
a .05 level of significance.
3. Results
3.1 Smartphone Addiction based on
the General Characteristics of the
Participants
As shown in Table 1, of the 293 college students, 57.0% of
participants (n = 167) were male, 43.0% (n = 126) were
female. Mean age was 20.2 (±2.04) years and 47.4% (n =
139) were freshmen. A result of examining the differences
in Smartphone addiction by general characteristics, there
were significant differences by gender (t = 3.98, p<.001),
age (F = 3.12, p = .045), grade (F = 7.28, p<.001), major (F
Indian Journal of Science and Technology
 Young-Sook Kwon and Kyung -Shin Paek

Table 1.  Smartphone addiction based on the characteristics of the participants (N = 293)

Variables Categories Number Percentage (%) Mean (±SD) t or F Schaffer’s

Male 167 57.0 31.09(±7.03)

Gender -3.98***
Female 126 43.0 34.38(±6.95)

≤ 20 212 72.4 31.87(±7.16)

Age
21-24 66 22.5 34.28(±6.60) 3.12*
(years)

≥ 25 15 5.1 33.73(±8.60)

1st a 139 47.4 30.67(±6.61)

2nd b 100 34.1 33.79(±7.19)

Grade 7.28*** a<d
3rd c 34 11.6 33.70(±6.66)

4th d 20 6.8 36.85(±8.38)

Humanities and Social

93 31.7 31.24(±6.25)
Sciencesa

Natural sciencesb 77 26.3 31.66(±7.84)

Major #
4.93** a<c
Health and Medical
116 39.6 34.05(±6.88)
Sciencesc

Physical Education and Art 7 2.4 33.14(±11.63)

Good a 47 16.0 30.95(±8.35)

Academic
Moderate b 190 64.8 31.93(±6.69) 7.91*** a, b<c
achievement

Poor c 56 19.1 35.78(±6.84)

≤ 300 a 165 56.3 30.86(±7.19)

Daily
Smartphone
301-600 b 77 26.3 35.27(±6.23) 11.53*** a<b, c
using time
(minute)
≥ 601 c 51 17.4 33.68(±7.04)

Note. # Physical education and art are excluded from ANOVA.

* P<.05, ** P<.01, *** P<.001

Vol 9 (41) | November 2016 | www.indjst.org Indian Journal of Science and Technology 3
 The Influence of Smartphone Addiction on Depression and Communication Competence among College Students

= 4.93, p = .008), academic achievement (F = 7.91, p<.001)
and daily Smartphone using time (F = 11.53, p< .001).
3.2 Smartphone Addiction, Depression and
Communication Competence
As shown in Table 2, the mean of Smartphone addiction
was 32.51 (±7.17), depression was 10.30 (±8.71), commu-
nication competence was 50.43 (±7.84).
As shown in Table 3, as for the Smartphone use level
of participants, a high-risk group, a potential risk group
and a general group were 5.1%, 9.6%, and 85.3% respec-
tively.
As shown in Table 4, the proportion of participants
with depression was 29.9% and as for the depression
level of participants, mild depression, moderate depres-
sion and severe depression were 16.0%, 11.9% and 2.0%
respectively.

Table 2.  Smartphone addiction, depression and communication competence (N = 293)

Variables Mean(±SD) Minimum Maximum

Smartphone addiction 32.51(±7.17) 15 55

Depression 32.51(±7.17) 0 60

Communication
50.43(±7.84) 23 75
competence

Table 3.  Classification of Smartphone addiction (N = 293)

Score Group Number Percentage (%)

≤ 39 General group 250 85.3

Potential risk
40 - 43 28 9.6
group

≥ 44 High risk group 15 5.1

Table 4.  Classification of depression by Beck Depression Inventory-II (N = 293)

Score Group Number Percentage (%)

0 - 13 Normal 205 70.0

14 - 19 Mild depression 47 16.0

20 - 28 Moderate depression 35 11.9

29 - 63 Severe depression 6 2.0

4 Vol 9 (41) | November 2016 | www.indjst.org Indian Journal of Science and Technology
 Young-Sook Kwon and Kyung -Shin Paek

3.3 Correlations between Smartphone 3.4 Predictors on the Smartphone

Addiction, Depression and
Communication Competence
As shown in Table 5, there were significant correlations
between the scores for Smartphone addiction, depression
and communication competence. A significant positive
correlation was found between Smartphone addiction
and depression (r= .407, p<.001). Smartphone addiction
(r = -.281, p<.001) and depression (r = -.303, p<.001) cor-
related negatively with communication competence.
Addiction
As shown in Table 6, a hierarchical multiple regressions
analysis was used to ascertain the relation of six predic-
tors to the dependent variable of Smartphone addiction.
Model 1 showed that Smartphone addiction was sig-
nificantly predicted by gender (ß = .228) and grade (ß =
-.157). In Model 2, gender (ß = .180), grade (ß = .153),
academic achievement (ß = .209) and daily smart phone
using time (ß = .149) were significant. In Model 3, depres-

Table 5.  Correlations between Smartphone addiction, depression and

communication competence (N = 293)

Smartphone Communication
Depression
addiction competence
Smartphone
1
addiction

Depression .407*** 1

Communication
-.281*** -.303*** 1
competence

Table 6.  Predictors on the Smartphone addiction (N = 293)

Variables Model I Model II Model III

ß t ß t ß t

Constant 53.68*** 37.77*** 12.04***

Gender .228 4.04*** .180 3.23*** .117 2.22*

Grade .157 2.79** .153 2.79** .136 2.65**

Academic
.209 3.79*** .119 2.26*
achievement

Vol 9 (41) | November 2016 | www.indjst.org Indian Journal of Science and Technology 5
 The Influence of Smartphone Addiction on Depression and Communication Competence among College Students
Table 6 Continued
Daily Smartphone
.149
using time
Depression
Communication
competence
R2 = .070
F = 12.03***
sion (ß = .302), communication competence (ß = -.148), a
daily Smartphone using time (ß = .144), grade (ß = .136),
academic achievement (ß = .119) and gender (ß = .117),
were significant. The higher score of depression, the lon-
ger the time of daily Smartphone usage and the higher the
grade, the lower score of communication competence; the
lower the academic achievement and female had a higher
score of Smartphone addiction. 25.1% of the variance of
Smartphone addiction was explained by these six predic-
tors and the overall F-score of multiple regression Model
3 was significant (F = 17.307, p<.001).
4. Discussion
14.7% of participants in the study appeared to have a risk
group of smartphone addiction. Research on the college
students used the same instrument in Korea found that
proportion of risk group in smartphone addiction ranged
from 21% to 27% 15,23. Compared with these studies, the
proportion of risk group of smartphone addiction in the
present study is much lower. This finding resulted from
participants. The subjects of previous studies 15, 23 were
composed of mostly female students and they reported
that female students had more addictive to a smartphone
than male students. In this study, the level of smartphone
addiction to students differed significantly by gender. It is
possible that there might have been related to the propor-
tion of a risk group of smartphone addiction.
In this study, smartphone addiction and depression were
determined as positively correlated, depression was found
6 Vol 9 (41) | November 2016 | www.indjst.org
2.67** .144 2.77**
.302 5.46***
-.148 -2.74**
R2 = .128 R2 = .251
F = 11.69*** F = 17.30***
to be the most effective factor of addiction to a smart-
phone. This result is consistent with prior studies 24, 27, 28
that depressive people tend to use the smartphone more
and are inclined to develop a smartphone addiction.
Comorbidity of depression in smartphone and internet
addiction has been shown in various studies 11,18,27,28. Thus
identifying students with depression and providing them
with appropriate supportive services may help them to
prevent addiction to a smartphone.
Communication competence is defined as a knowledge,
skill, and motivation about communication which is
accompanied with appropriateness and effectiveness
26
. The present study demonstrated that smartphone
addiction was negatively associated with communica-
tion competence and communication competence was
identified as a significantly influencing factor to smart-
phone addiction. It is consistent with the result of Lee
29
which reported that groups of lower communication
competence have higher degree SNS addiction of smart-
phone. Kim 30 reported the higher levels of the web media
experience are, the lower mean of the communication
competence are. Also, the research of Cho and Kim 31
reported that communication competence was related
to media usage such as TV, internet. However, it runs
contrary to the result from Kim 15 who found that the
smartphone use level didn’t have a significant difference
with communication competence. Communication com-
petence is absolutely required for college students to carry
out an effective learning and a successful life in the society
Indian Journal of Science and Technology

based on knowledge 15. Also, improving communication
competence induces students to control of media overuse
31
. To prevent the addictive use of a smartphone, it needs
to develop programs for promoting of communication
competence.
In this study, a daily smartphone using time was a sig-
nificantly effective factor to smartphone addiction. Using
smartphone too much can be out of self-control and cause
the smartphone usage continuously 1, 10, 14, 28, 32. Therefore,
it is necessary to develop a program such as applications
to perceive the habit of using a smartphone of one’s own
and check the amount of smartphone use. Furthermore, it
requires promoting the proper use of a smartphone.
Our study has shown grade was a significantly predictor
for smartphone addiction, that is, the higher the grade,
the more smartphone addiction. However, results in Bian
et al. 1 indicated that earlier students of college were sus-
ceptible to smartphone addiction.
Academic achievement was identified as a significantly
influencing factor to smartphone addiction in this study.
This result is consistent with reports of previous studies
that people with smartphone addiction may encounter
difficulty with academic performance 5.
This study has shown significantly higher levels of smart-
phone addiction in female students, gender was found a
significant predictor for smartphone addiction. The previ-
ous findings 23, 27 indicated that there is a gender difference
in smartphone behavior and female students are liable to
smartphone addiction. Therefore, future study is need to
identify that the relationship between smartphone addic-
tion and behavior of smartphone according to gender.
The general traits and the variables including depression
and communication competence accounted for 25.5% of
smartphone addiction. Since depression and communi-
cation competence were important factors to predict of
smartphone addiction, it is necessary to detect students
with depression early and prepare practical programs to
reduce effectively depression. Also, it will be helpful to
prevent smartphone addiction if programs to strengthen
communication competence are provided to be available
to many students.
5. Conclusion
This study has attempted to provide a basic data for devel-
oping effective programs to prevent Smartphone addiction
of college student by figuring out the level of Smartphone
addiction and relationship of Smartphone addiction with
Vol 9 (41) | November 2016 | www.indjst.org
Young-Sook Kwon and Kyung -Shin Paek
depression and communication competence and identify
the predictive factors affecting Smartphone addiction.
In our study, it was found out that depression and
communication competence are the factors significantly
influencing Smartphone addiction of students. From
these results, we propose the necessity of preventing pro-
grams for Smartphone addiction of students, considering
individual psychosocial aspects such as depression and
communication competence.
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