The relationship of spousal phubbing with depression and family functioning

ABSTRACT The Relationship of Spousal Phubbing with Depression and Family Functioning Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between spousal sociotelism (phubbing) and depression and family functioning in married individuals who applied to Çukurova University Educational Family Health Center (EASM) for any reason. Materials and Methods: The sample of the study consisted of married individuals aged 18 years and older who applied to four EASM units within a three-month period. The study, which targeted all married individuals aged 18 years and older, was completed with 222 participants. In the study, a form collecting sociodemographic information of the participants, Family Apgar Scale, Being Phubbed Scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) were used. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was also administered to patients who screened positive according to the PHQ-2 to determine whether they met the criteria for depressive disorder. Chi-square test, Kolmogorov Smirnov test, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test, Pearson correlation and Spearman correlation tests were used in data analysis. Statistical significance level was taken as p<0.05. Results: Among the 222 participants with a mean age of 34.5±8.4 years (min-max: 23-60), those with positive PHQ-2 scale results had higher median levels of the Phubbing Exposure Scale (PES) subscales PN (Perceived Norms), Fı (Feeling Ignored) and IC (Interpersonal Conflict) than those with negative PHQ-2 (p=0.001, p=0.006 and p=0.001, respectively). In the comparison between the PES and PHQ-9 Scale, no statistically significant difference was found between the PN, FI, IC subscales and PHQ-9 scales (p=0.962, p=0.475, p=0.144, respectively). When the pairwise comparisons were examined in the comparison between the PES and the Family Apgar Scale, the median of the PN, FI and IC scales were higher in the medium Family Apgar group compared to the low and high Family Apgar groups (p=0.006, p=0.005, p=0.009, respectively). Females were found to have higher sociotelism exposure scores compared to males (p=0.014, p=0.001, and p=0.005, respectively) and sociotelism exposure levels showed a weak negative correlation with age in PN and IC subscales (r=-0.142, r=-0.138, respectively). Exposure to sociotelism was associated with the presence of chronic illness, whereas the presence of psychiatric disorder was only associated with the Interpersonal Conflict (IC) subscale. All three subscale medians were found to be higher in individuals who had previously used psychiatric medication than in those who had not use medication (p=0.013, p=0.001 and p=0.001, respectively). As the level of exposure to sociotelism increased, the score obtained from the PHQ-2 scale increased. There were 45 (20.27%) participants who scored 3 points or more on the PHQ-2 scale (positive screening). According to the PHQ-9 scale score, the participants who were at risk of depression were informed, referred to the psychiatric outpatient clinic and followed up. Conclusion: Family physicians should take into consideration the results of the concept of sociotelism, which is newly heard in our country and in the world, and should provide awareness to individuals about phubbing behavior and smartphone addiction. Keywords: Family medicine, family functioning, depression, phubbing