Effects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and impulsivity on smartphone addiction in university students

Aim: Addiction modeling studies are still being carried out for problematic smartphone use. ADHD and impulsive traits have previously been reported to increase the risk for addictions. Our main hypothesis is that the symptoms of ADHD and impulsivity and some patterns of problematic smartphone use will be related to smartphone addiction. Material and Method: 410 (330 female, 80 male) voluntary 1st and 3rd grade students of Inonu University Faculties of Nursing, Dentistry and Health Sciences were recruited. SAS-SV, WURS, ASRS, UPPS scales and a sociodemographic form created by researchers based on observations and previous studies, including smartphone using patterns, were used and filled out by self-reporting. Results: Statistically significant positive correlations were found between SAS-SV score and WURS (r:0.215 p<0.01), ASRS (r:0.299, p<0.01), ASRS inattention (r:0.327 p<0.01), ASRS hyperactivity / impulsivity subscale (r:0.201 p<0.01), UPPS (r:0.290 p<0.01), UPPS urgency (r:0.305 p<0.01), UPPS lack of perseverance (r:0.275 p<0.01) and UPPS lack of premeditation subscale (r:0.129 p<0.01) scores. Time spent on smartphone per day on weekdays, weekends and the mean number of checking per day were significantly related to SAS-SV score (p<0.05). Scores of SAS-SV (t:3.997 p<0.001), WURS (t:2.520 p<0.02) and UPPS urgency subscale (t:2.359 p<0.02) were significantly higher in people with a history of accidents due to smartphone. Conclusion: ADHD and impulsivity components were significantly related to smartphone addiction in our sample. Keywords: Smartphone, addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, impulsive behavior, accident proneness