Peer Reviewed Open Access

This paper is reviewed in accordance with the Peer Review Program of IRA Academico Research


The Meaning of Life and its Influence on Adolescent Mobile Phone Addiction: An Exploratory Study

Yue Zhao
Abstract
With the popularization of mobile Internet devices, more and more teenagers use smartphones. The use of mobile phones can not only bring convenience to young people, but at the same time, improper use and dependence may also lead to the risk of addiction and harm the physical and mental health of young people. With the development and influence of positive psychology, the meaning of life plays an important role in preventing adolescents' psychological and behavioural problems. Individuals with a high sense of life are less likely to become addicted to mobile phones. Based on this, it is possible to prevent and alleviate the problem of mobile phone addiction by enhancing the sense of life, improving self-control, and paying attention to positive psychology and group counselling interventions.
Keywords
mobile phones; positive psychology; teenagers; meaning of life
Full Text:
PDF
References

Baumeister, R. F. (1991). Meanings of life. New York, NY: Guilford Press

Bian, M., & Leung, L. (2015). Linking loneliness, shyness, smartphone addiction symptoms, and patterns of smartphone use to social capital. Social Science Computer Review, 33(1), 61-79.

Bickham, D. S., Hswen, Y., & Rich, M. (2015). Media use and depression: exposure, household rules, and symptoms among young adolescents in the USA. International Journal of Public Health, 60(2),147-155.

Billieux, J., Maurage, P., Lopez-Fernandez, O., Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2015). Can disordered mobile phone use be considered a behavioral addiction? An update on current evidence and a comprehensive model for future research. Current Addiction Reports, 2(2), 156-162.

Brouzos, A., Vassilopoulos, S. P., & Boumpouli, C. (2016). Adolescents' subjective and psychological well-being: the role of meaning in life. Hellenic Journal of Psychology, 13(3),153-169.

Buctot, D. B., Kim, N., & Park, K. E. (2018). Development and evaluation of smartphone detox program for university students. International Journal of Contents, 14(4), 1–9.

Caplan, S. E. (2002). Problematic internet use and psychosocial well-being: Development of a theory-based cognitive-behavioral measurement instrument. Computers in Human Behavior, 18(5),553-575.

Chambers, R. A., Taylor, J. R., & Potenza, M. N. (2003). Developmental Neurocircuitry of motivation in adolescence: a critical period of addiction vulnerability. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(6),1041-1052.

Chen, C., Zhang, K. Z. K., Gong, X., & Lee, M. (2019). Dual mechanisms of reinforcement reward and habit in driving smartphone addiction: the role of smartphone features. Internet Research, 29(6), 1551-1570.

Cho, S., & Lee, E. (2015). Development of a brief instrument to measure smartphone addiction among nursing students. Cin Computers Informatics Nursing, 33(5),216-224.

Choliz, M. (2010). Mobile phone addiction: a point of issue. Addiction, 105(2), 373–374.

Datu, J. A., & Jose Mateo, N. (2015). Gratitude and life satisfaction among Filipino adolescents: The mediating role of meaning in life. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 37(2),198-206.

Debats, & D., L. (1999). Sources of meaning: an investigation of significant commitments in life. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 39(4),30-57.

Doğan, T., Sapmaz, F., Tel, F. D., Sapmaz, S., & Temizel, S. (2012). Meaning in life and subjective well-being among Turkish university students. Procedia Social & Behavioral Sciences, 55(55), 612-617.

Doğan, U., & Tosun, N.İ. (2016). Mediating effect of problematic smartphone use on the relationship between social anxiety and social network usage of high school students. Adıyaman University Journal of Social Sciences,1(1), 99–128.

Ding, D., & Li, J. (2017). Smartphone overuse – a growing public health issue. Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy, 07(01), 289.

Dong, L., Wright, K. B., & Hu, B. (2018). A meta-analysis of social network site use and social support. Computers & Education, 127, S0360131518302343-

Dunn, M. G., & Obrien, K. M. (2007). Psychological health and meaning in life stress, social support, and religious coping in latina/latino immigrants. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 31(2),204-227.

Ebersole, P., & Depaola, S. (1987). Meaning in life categories of later life couples. Journal of Psychology, 121(2), 185-191.

Edward, & Prager. (1996). Exploring personal meaning in an age-differentiated Australian sample: another look at the sources of meaning profile (somp). Journal of Aging Studies, 10(2),117-136.

Elhai, J. D., Levine, J. C., Dvorak, R. D., & Hall, B. J. (2017). Non-social features of smartphone use are most related to depression, anxiety and problematic smartphone use. Computers in Human Behavior, 69(APR.), 75-82.

Emmons, R. A. (2005). Striving for the sacred: personal goals, life meaning, and religion. Journal of Social Issues, 61(4),731-745.

Evik, C., Cierci, Y., Kl, B., & Uyar, S. (2020). Relationship between smartphone addiction and meaning and purpose of life in students of health sciences. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 56(3).705-711.

Frankl, V. E. (1959). Man’s search for meaning. New York, NY: Pocket Books Washington Square Press.

Fredrickson, & Barbara, L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, 56(3), 218-226.

Fu, S., Chen, X., & Zheng, H. (2020). Exploring an adverse impact of smartphone overuse on academic performance via health issues: a stimulus-organism-response perspective. Behaviour and Information Technology(2).

Ge Xuhua. (2016). Study on the Relationship between Adolescents' Cell Phone Dependence and Sense of Life Meaning and Subjective Well-being. Journal of Jiangxi Youth Vocational College, 26(04),25-28.

Han Dengliang, Qi Zhifei. Psychological analysis of college students' mobile phone addiction. Contemporary Youth Research, 2005(12):34-38.

Heintzelman, S. J., & King, L. A. (2014). Life is pretty meaningful. American Psychologist, 69(6), 561-574.

Holden, C. (2001). 'Behavioural' addictions: do they exist? Science, 294(5544), 980-982.

Horvath, J., Mundinger, C., Schmitgen, M. M., Wolf, N. D., Sambataro, F., Hirjak, D., ... Wolf, R. C. (2020). Structural and functional correlates of smartphone addiction. Addictive Behaviors, 105, Article 106334

Hyuk, L., Won, K. J., & Young, C. T. (2017). Risk factors for smartphone addiction in Korean adolescents: smartphone use patterns. Journal of Korean MedicaScience, 32(10), 1674-1679.

James, T. L., Lowry, P. B., Wallace, L., & Warkentin, M. (2017). The effect of belongingness on obsessive-compulsive disorder in the use of online social networks. Journal of Management Information Systems, 34(2),560-596.

Kardefelt-Winther, & Daniel. (2014). A conceptual and methodological critique of internet addiction research: towards a model of compensatory internet use. Computers in Human Behavior, 31(31),351-354.

Khazaei, F., & Ghanbari, H. B. (2017). Positive psychology interventions for internet addiction treatment. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 304-311.

Kress, V. E., Newgent, R. A., Whitlock, J., & Mease, L. (2019). Spirituality/religiosity, life satisfaction, and life meaning as protective factors for nonsuicidal self-injury in college students. Journal of College Counseling, 18(2),160-174.

Spada, & Marcantonio, M. (2014). An overview of problematic internet use. Addictive Behaviors, 39(1),3-6.

Lee, H., Ahn, H., Choi, S., & Choi, W. (2014). The SAMS: smartphone addiction management system and verification. Journal of Medical Systems, 38(1), 1-10.

Liu Lijun. Preliminary development of the questionnaire on the meaning of middle school students' personal life. Hunan Normal University, 2009.

Liu Qinxue, Yan Yang, Yue Lin, Yu Si, Zhou Zongkui. (2017). Smartphone Addiction: Concept, Measurement and Influencing Factors. China Journal of Clinical Psychology, 32(2),226-235.

Lin, Y. H., Chiang, C. L., Lin, P. H., Chang, L. R., & Lin, S. H. (2016). Proposed diagnostic criteria for smartphone addiction. PLoS ONE, 11(11),e0163010.

Lopez-Fernandez, O. (2017). Short version of the smartphone addiction scale adapted to Spanish and French: towards a cross-cultural research in problematic mobile phone use. Addictive Behaviors, 64,275-280.

Melton, A. M. A., & Schulenberg, S. E. (2007). On the relationship between meaning in life and boredom proneness: examining a logotherapy postulate. Psychol Rep, 101(3F), 1016-1022.

Milani, L., Osualdella, D., & Blasio, P. D. (2009). Quality of interpersonal relationships and problematic internet use in adolescence. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 12(6),681-684.

O’Connor, K., & Chamberlain, K. (1996). Dimensions of life meaning: a qualitative investigation at mid-life. British Journal of Psychology, 87(3),461-477.

Park, C. L., & Folkman, S. (1997). Meaning in the context of stress and coping. Review of General Psychology, 1(2), 115-144.

Roberts, J., Yaya, L., & Manolis, C. (2014). The invisible addiction: cell-phone activities and addiction among male and female college students. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 3(4), 254-265.

Robinson, T. E., & Berridge, K. C. (2008). The incentive sensitization theory of addiction: some current issues. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 363(1507), 3137-314

Ruggiero, T. E. (2000). Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication & Society, 3(1), 3-37.

Schnell, & Tatjana. (2009). The sources of meaning and meaning in life questionnaire (some): relations to demographics and well-being. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(6),483-499.

Sheng Zhengqun. Revision of college students' life meaning questionnaire. South China Normal University, 2007.

Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1),80-93.

Steger, M. F., Mann, J. R., Michels, P., & Cooper, T. C. (2009). Meaning in life, anxiety, depression, and general health among smoking cessation patients. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 67(4),353-358.

Steger, M. F., Oishi, S., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Meaning in life across the life span: levels and correlates of meaning in life from emerging adulthood to older adulthood. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(1),43-52.

Stevanovic, D. (2020). Introduction to the special issue on problematic behaviors related to internet and digital technology use: facts, conjectures, and oranges. Psihologija, 53(3),225-236.

Tong Yuantian, Lian Shuailei, Sun Xiaojun, Qiu Xiaowen. (2019). The influence of boredom tendency on mobile phone addiction: an analysis of mediating effect. China Journal of Clinical Psychology, 27(6), 1115-1120.

Torbjoern, Ott, Anita, Grigic, Magnusson, & Alexandra, et al. (2018). "It must not disturb, it's as simple as that": students' voices on mobile phones in the infrastructure for learning in Swedish upper secondary school. Education and information technologies, 23(1),517-536.

Vela, J. C., Lenz, A. S., Sparrow, G. S., & Gonzalez, S. L. (2016). Using humanistic and positive psychology to understand Mexican American adolescents’ subjective happiness. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 55(1), 66-81.

Westlund, & O. (2010). New(s) functions for the mobile: a cross-cultural study. New Media & Society, 12(1), 91-108.

Whiting, A., & Williams, D. L. (2013). Why people use social media: a uses and gratifications approach. Qualitative Market Research, 16(4),362-369.

Wong, P. T. (1989). Personal meaning and successful aging. Canadian Psychology, 30(3),516-525.

Xu Hua, Wu Xuanna, Lan Yanting, Chen Yinghe. Development of College Students' Mobile Phone Dependence Scale. China Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2008(01):26-27.

Xu Li. A preliminary study on the meaning of life of the elderly. Chongqing Normal University, 20 Barnes, S. J., Pressey, A. D., & Scornavacca, E. (2019). Mobile ubiquity: understanding the relationship between cognitive absorption, smartphone addiction and social network services. Computers in Human Behavior, 90(JAN.), 246-258.

Yang, S. C., & Tung, C. J. (2007). Comparison of internet addicts and non-addicts in Taiwanese high school - ScienceDirect. Computers in Human Behavior, 23(1), 79-96.



©IRA Academico Research & its authors
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. This article can be used for non-commercial purposes. Mentioning of the publication source is mandatory while referring this article in any future works.