Mindfulness based educational programs on smartphone addiction and the intermediate role of rumination: A before-post experimental study

It is observed that it has reached the level of addiction with the spread of online applications and the excessive use of smartphones, with which we can handle many things, with the effect of the pandemic in our country as well as all over the world. It is thought that a method that can be effective on problematic smartphone use, which is one of the behavioral addictions, which is a new concept in the literature, may be conscious awareness-based applications. Studies have shown that Mindfulness based programs provide therapeutic effects on many psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and stress. In this study, the effect of the Conscious Awareness-based program given by the Mindfulness Trainer Certified trainers randomly selected among the online Mindfulness Training Programs was examined together with the rumination variable, and a semi-experimental study was carried out by applying the scales before and after the program to the program participants between the ages of 18-65 and using smartphones. An 8 weeks Mİndfulness Based Training was given to the volunteer participants by the volunteer Mindfulness Trainers. Our sample consists of BEFORE n:51 and AFTER n:21 people. Conscious Awareness-Based Education Program applications in data collection, the Five-Factor Wise Awareness Scale adapted to Turkish by Ayalp and Şahin(2018), the validity and reliability scale of the Mobile Addiction Scale by Fidan(2016), and the Ruminative Scale adapted to Turkish by Karatepe (2010). Thoughts Scale was used. Analysis of the data was done using SPSS© 18.0. Descriptive statistics are shown as mean, standard deviation, median/median, mode/peak, minimum, maximum, and percentage. Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test, Spearman Correlation Analysis and Chi-square test were used in statistical analysis. Almost all of the participants are women. In our study, a significant inverse relationship was found between age and mobile phone addiction scale mean scores. Mobile Smartphone Addiction Scale score BEFORE (n=51) mean 76.75±22.27, BEFORE (n=21) mean. 75.19±21.83 and AFTER(n=21) mean. While the Conscious Awareness Scale score was 61.81±16.67, BEFORE (n=51) mean 63.78±13.82, BEFORE (n=21) mean. 60.81±14.96 and AFTER (n=21) mean. Ruminative Thoughts Scale mean score of 74.10±11.38 and BEFORE (n:51) group was 90.51±25.15, BEFORE (n:21) mean. AFTER 95.43±26.09 (n:21) group mean. It is 71.14±26.47. As a result of the analysis of the data of the people who participated in the research both before and after the program, there was a negative significant relationship between the Rumination Scale score and the Conscious Awareness Scale Score, while a positive significant relationship was found between the Mobile Smartphone Addiction Scale score and the Rumination Scale Score. According to our Before and After research findings, the relationship between the Mobile Smartphone Addiction Scale score and the Conscious Awareness Scale score is negatively significant. It is thought that the results obtained will shed light on diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic studies on smartphone addiction.