Factors associated with smartphone addiction: A comparative study between Japanese and Thai high school students

Arunrat Tangmunkongvorakul; Patou Masika Musumari; Yukie Tsubohara; Pisittawoot Ayood; Kriengkrai Srithanaviboonchai; Teeranee Techasrivichien; S Pilar Suguimoto; Masako Ono-Kihara; Masahiro Kihara

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0238459

Factors associated with smartphone addiction: A comparative study between Japanese and Thai high school students

PLoS One. 2020 Sep 8;15(9):e0238459. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238459. eCollection 2020.

Affiliations

¹ Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
² Global Health Interdisciplinary Unit, Center for the Promotion of Interdisciplinary Education and Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
³ Sankampang Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
⁴ Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
⁵ Department of Health Informatics, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Kyoto, Japan.
⁶ Center for Medical Education, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Smartphone addiction is a growing social problem with adverse health outcomes. There are few comparative studies in Asia that examine factors associated with smartphone addiction. The current study aimed to address this research gap by presenting a comparative analysis of factors associated with smartphone addiction in Japan and Thailand, two countries heterogeneous in both their level of economic development and culture.

Methods: Participant data were collected using two population-based surveys. Participants were high school students in grade 11, aged 16-17 years old, and were selected using quota sampling in Japan in 2014 and random sampling in Thailand in 2016. The outcome of interest was smartphone addiction, measured using a modified version of the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with smartphone addiction (gender; nationality; family connectedness; and average time spent on smartphone per day).

Results: This study included a total of 7694 students, 6585 students from Japan and 1109 students from Thailand. The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 35.9% among Thai students and 12% among Japanese students. Thai students were more likely to have smartphone addiction than Japanese students (AOR 2.76; 95% CI: 2.37-3.30). Being female was associated with increased odds of smartphone addiction in both Japanese (AOR 1.53; 95% CI: 1.32-1.78) and Thai students (AOR 1.34; 95% CI: 1.01-1.78). The parental connectedness variables "my parents noticed when I was unhappy" (AOR 0.77; 95% CI: 0.62-0.96) and "my parents noticed when I did something good" (AOR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.61-0.99) were associated with lower odds of smartphone addiction among Japanese students.

Conclusion: Smartphone addiction was more prevalent among Thai adolescents than Japanese adolescents, and more prevalent among females than males in both countries. Interventions for reducing smartphone addiction should take into account both context and gender, and should leverage the protective effect of parental connectedness.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior
Behavior, Addictive / epidemiology
Behavior, Addictive / physiopathology
Behavior, Addictive / psychology*
Female
Humans
Japan / epidemiology
Male
Parents
Prevalence
Smartphone / statistics & numerical data
Smartphone / trends*
Students / psychology*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Thailand / epidemiology

Grants and funding

The Thai survey was funded by Chiang Mai University and the survey in Japan was funded by the National High School Parent-Teacher Association of Japan. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.