ArticleAddiction & health2020
Smartphone Overuse from Iranian University Students' Perspective: A Qualitative Study.
Article in Addiction & health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Abusive Practices, Self-regulation Strategies, and the Language of Addiction: Narratives Surrounding Problematic Smartphone Use in Southeastern Spanish Youth.Culture, medicine and psychiatry · 2026Article
- The influence of educational intervention, according to ergonomic principles on neck and shoulder disability and pain indices relevant to smartphones, among students.Journal of education and health promotion · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSmartphone usage has increasing during recent years. Since its excessive use can have negative consequences, it is important to know how users use it and become dependent on it. This study was aimed at exploring how university students use their phones, how they depend on them, and the possible consequences of overusing them.
methodsThis study was conducted using a qualitative design and with a thematic analysis method. Data were collected using 3 focus group discussions regarding experiences of using smartphones among 22 smartphone owners who reported smartphone overuse. They were chosen through snowball sampling at a University of Medical Sciences in Tehran (Iran).
findingsBased on the analysis, the 3 categories of process usage (sub-categories: doing daily routines, information seeking, to take a picture or video, entertainment, academic work, making money, to escape real-life, and passing the time), social usage (sub-categories: relationship with family, relationship with friends, interact with the opposite gender, to be seen and heard, approval seeking, and free expression), and disadvantages (sub-categories: interference with other essential activities, decreased face-to-face communications, overdependence, automatic use, loss of sense of time, stress, fatigue, sleep disturbances, physical inactivity, eye problems, high bills, and distraction) were developed.
conclusionIn this research, participants mentioned various uses of their smartphones that enable them to meet their personal needs and, in spite of the negative consequences of its overuse, cause them to continue to use it. Some uses seem to be affected by environmental and cultural conditions.
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