ArticlePloS one2022
Smartphone overuse, depression & anxiety in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Global prevalence of anxiety and depression among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Longitudinal Associations of Active Versus Passive TikTok Use with Depression: A Chain Mediation Model of Autistic Traits and Self-Esteem.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Adaptation and Validation of the Spanish Version of the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS).Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in Peruvian military: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Psychometric properties of the smartphone addiction scale-short version (SAS-SV) in Honduran university students.PloS one · 2025Article
- Smartphone dependence, addiction, and insomnia among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.PloS one · 2025Article
- Anxiety and Depression Disorders in Undergraduate Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrative Literature Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Review
- The relationship between social media dependency and psychological distress due to misunderstanding and fear of COVID-19 in medical students.BMC research notes · 2024Article
- Network analysis of depression and anxiety symptoms and their associations with mobile phone addiction among Chinese medical students during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.SSM - population health · 2024Article
- The impact of social isolation on smartphone addiction among college students: the multiple mediating effects of loneliness and COVID-19 anxiety.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Relationship between depression, anxiety, stress and smartphone addiction in COVID-19 nursing students.Revista latino-americana de enfermagem · 2024Article
- Daily smartphone use predicts parent depressive symptoms, but parents' perceptions of responsiveness to their child moderate this effect.Frontiers in developmental psychology · 2024Article
- Prevalence and factors associated with fear of COVID-19 in military personnel during the second epidemic wave in Peru.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Post-Traumatic Stress Associated with Telework-Related Job Limitation in Latin America.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Internet addiction and mental health disorders in high school students in a Peruvian region: a cross-sectional study.BMC psychiatry · 2023Article
- The Impact of Smartphone Addiction on Sleep Quality Among High School Students in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.Cureus · 2023Article
- Is Satisfaction with Online Learning Related to Depression, Anxiety, and Insomnia Symptoms? A Cross-Sectional Study on Medical Undergraduates in Romania.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2023Article
- Prevalence and Factors Associated with Anxiety and Depression in Peruvian Medical Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Association between love breakup and suicidal ideation in Peruvian medical students: a cross-sectional study during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Association between childhood trauma and mental health disorders in adolescents during the second pandemic wave of COVID-19, Chiclayo-Peru.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionMedical students have made particular use of smartphones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although higher smartphone overuse has been observed, its effect on mental disorders is unclear. This study aimed to assess the association between smartphone overuse and mental disorders in Peruvian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 370 students aged between 16 and 41 years (median age: 20) in three universities from July to October 2020. A survey including Smartphone Dependence and Addiction Scale, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 was applied. Prevalence ratios were estimated using generalized linear models.
resultsSmartphone overuse was a common feature among students (n = 291, 79%). Depressive symptoms were present in 290 (78%) students and anxiety symptoms in 255 (69%). Adjusted for confounders, addictive/dependent smartphone use was significantly associated with presence of depressive symptoms (PR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.20-1.38 for dependent use; PR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.12-1.50 for addictive use). Also, addictive/dependent smartphone use was significantly associated with presence of anxiety symptoms (PR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.14-2.23 for dependent use; PR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.07-2.41 for addictive use).
conclusionsOur findings suggest that medical students exposed to smartphone overuse are vulnerable to mental disorders. Overuse may reflect an inappropriate way of finding emotional relief, which may significantly affect quality of life and academic performance. Findings would assist faculties to establish effective measures for prevention of smartphone overuse.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.