Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38590451›Full record

ArticleOman medical journal2024

Relationship Between Alexithymia, Smartphone Addiction, and Psychological Distress Among University Students: A Multi-country Study.

Mai Helmy, Ahmed H Ebrahim, Aysha Faqeeh, Ethan Engel, Farzana Ashraf, Buremoh Ayotunde Isaac

Open access · diamondAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Oman medical journal, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.

Mai HelmyPsychology Department, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
Ahmed H EbrahimRehabilitation Department, Governmental Hospitals, Manama, Bahrain.
Aysha FaqeehResearch and Studies Department, Bahrain Corporate Social Responsibility Society, Manama, Bahrain.
Ethan EngelComputer Science Department, Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Denver, Denver, USA.
Farzana AshrafDepartment of Humanities, COMSATS University Islamabad (Lahore campus), Lahore, Pakistan.
Buremoh Ayotunde IsaacDepartment of Medicine, University College Hospital, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Menoufia University · EGUniversity College Hospital, Ibadan · NG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: Increasing dependence on smartphones results in the appearance of psychological problems, especially among young people. This study aims to determine the rates of alexithymia and its relationship with smartphone addiction and psychological distress in university students. Methods: A total of 2616 students (mean age = 22.5±3.5 years; 73.1% female) from universities in Egypt, Oman, and Pakistan were included in a cross-sectional and comparative study conducted through a web survey during the COVID-19 pandemic from October to December 2021. The following scales were used: Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). The survey also included questions related to sociodemographic and smartphone usage patterns.

Indexed as

Alexithymiaand social interaction patterns) is crucial for generating strategies to improve the psychological well-being of the youth of different regions and countries. FurtherBehaviorConclusions: Understanding cultural and socioeconomic factors (such as living standardsp < 0.001) and psychological distress (χ2(1) = 246.31p < 0.001). However, at each of the TAS-20, SAS-SV, and DASS-21 variables, there were significant differences between the students of the three countries (p < 0.050, p < 0.010, and p < 0.010, respectively)p < 0.001). Likewise, smartphone addiction was significantly associated with psychological distress (χ2(1) = 57.46Psychological DistressResults: Students scoring above the TAS-20 cutoff point were significantly more likely to have smartphone addiction (χ2(1) = 45.41smartphone addiction was highest in Oman, while alexithymia and psychological distress were most severe in Egypt. Women scored higher than men on SAS and TAS scales (p < 0.001). Students who used social media frequently were more prone to smartphone addictionStudentstechnology accessibilitythis study confirms the findings of recent studies indicating the heightened university students’ psychological vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemicTranscultural Psychology

Identifiers

PMID38590451
PMCPMC10999754
OpenAlexW4386206292

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.