Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40283718›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2025

The Longitudinal Association Between Habitual Smartphone Use and Peer Attachment: A Random Intercept Latent Transition Analysis.

Haoyu Zhao, Michelle Dusko Biferie, Bowen Xiao, Jennifer Shapka

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

4 authors.

Haoyu ZhaoDepartment of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-0541-8495
Michelle Dusko BiferieDepartment of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Bowen XiaoDepartment of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Jennifer ShapkaDepartment of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8914-6951

Funding

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council 435-2019-0041
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Although many peers socialize online, there is evidence that adolescents who spend too much time online are lonely, depressed, and anxious. This study incorporates habitual smartphone use as a new way of measuring smartphone engagement, based on the shortcomings of simply measuring 'hours spent online'. Drawing on a large 2-year longitudinal study, the current research aims to investigate the association between habitual smartphone use and peer attachment among Canadian adolescents. A whole-school approach combined with a convenience sampling method was used to select our sample. A total of 1303 Canadian high school students (Grades 8-12; mage = 14.51 years, SD = 1.17 years; 50.3% females) who completed both waves of data collection were included in this study. A random intercept latent transition analysis (RI-LTA) was utilized to assess the association between habitual smartphone use (absent-minded subscale of the Smartphone Usage Questionnaire) and transition probabilities among profiles of peer attachment (Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment), after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, stress, family attachment, school connectedness, and social goals. Three profiles of peer attachment were identified: (Profile 1: weak communication and some alienation; Profile 2: strong communication, strong trust, and weak alienation; Profile 3: okay communication and high alienation). Results of multivariable RI-LTA indicated that increased habitual smartphone use was significantly associated with a heightened probability of transitioning from Profile 2 at Wave 1 to Profile 1 at Wave 2 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.003-1.46). Findings indicate that adolescents who are more habituated to their phones may become less attached to their peers over time. This offers insights for caregivers to focus on management and discussing smartphone engagement with adolescents to strengthen their attachment with peers.

Indexed as

Object AttachmentPeer GroupSmartphoneAdolescentCanadaFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleStudentsSurveys and Questionnairesadolescenthabitual smartphone usepeer attachment

Identifiers

PMID40283718
PMCPMC12026890

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.