ArticleBMC medicine2025
Changes in smartphone dependence and depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents.
Article in BMC medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- [The moderating effect of smartphone addiction on the relationship between social skills and anxiety among left-behind secondary school students].Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics · 2026Article
- The relationship between smartphone addiction and shyness among medical college students: The mediating effect of self-acceptance.Medicine · 2026Article
- Internet Addiction, Mental Health Help-Seeking, and Mental Health Problems Among Chinese Adolescents: Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Is there a bidirectional relationship between the number of unhealthy lifestyle factors and depressive symptoms in adolescents? Evidence from a longitudinal study.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Reciprocal associations between smartphone overdependence and anxiety in adolescents: evidence from a nationally representative survey in the Republic of Korea.Osong public health and research perspectives · 2026Article
- Directional Relations Between Symptoms of Adolescent Smartphone Addiction, Academic Burnout, and Psychological Distress: A Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis.Psychology research and behavior management · 2026Article
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11 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPrevious studies have examined the associations of baseline smartphone dependence (SPD) with depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, ignoring changes in SPD over time. Especially, it is unclear whether individuals quitting SPD remain at high risk for depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations of changes in SPD with depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms among adolescents.
methodsFrom September to December 2021 (wave 1), we recruited adolescents in grades 4 and 7 in five public primary schools and nine public junior high schools in Shenzhen, China, and collected information on SPD using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. The cut-off values of ≥ 31 and ≥ 33 were used in boys and girls, respectively, to identify adolescents with SPD. From September to December 2022 (wave 2), in addition to SPD, we collected the information on depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms using the 9-item version of Patient Health Questionnaire and the 7-item version of General Anxiety Disorder Scale, respectively. The cut-off values for clinically significant symptoms were both ≥ 10. Four patterns of changes in SPD during waves 1-2 were defined: none, quitting, new-onset, and persistent. From September to December 2023 (wave 3), we assessed depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms again.
resultsOf the 3088 adolescents included, the mean age was 12.5 (standard deviation [SD], 1.4) years and 54.3% were boys. Compared with adolescents without SPD, those with new-onset SPD (odds ratio [OR], 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 2.31) or persistent SPD (OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.56 to 3.61) showed a higher risk of depressive symptoms, but those quitting SPD did not (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.83 to 2.12). We have observed a similar association between changes in SPD and anxiety symptoms. Several sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that adolescents with SPD might be a high-risk group for depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, and quitting SPD might help prevent them from developing depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms.
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