The impact of phubbing, interaction anxiety, and physical activity on loneliness and life satisfaction of university students

This study aimed to examine the effects of phubbing, interaction anxiety, physical activity level and sociodemographic variables on loneliness and life satisfaction in Suleyman Demirel University undergraduate students. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted during the academic year 2022-2023, including 969 undergraduate students from Suleyman Demirel University. The survey included sections on students' sociodemographic characteristics, other individual traits potentially related to loneliness and life satisfaction, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the UCLA Loneliness Scale-short form (ULS-8), Phubbing Scale, Interaction Anxiety Scale, and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-short form. Descriptive findings were presented as numbers, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, ANOVA test, Pearson and Spearman correlations, and linear regression analysis were used, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. In the study, the participants' SWLS total score was calculated as 13.6±4.6, and ULS-8 total score as 13.9±5.0. Correlation analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between SWLS and ULS-8. Interaction anxiety and phubbing (total and sub-dimensions) showed significant negative associations with SWLS and positive associations with ULS-8. The results of the linear regression analysis indicate that alcohol consumption, owning a Twitter account, increasing phone obsession, and increasing interaction anxiety decrease life satisfaction, while increasing levels of physical activity, owning a tablet, and increasing perceived economic status increase life satisfaction. In the linear regression analysis, an increase in communication disturbances, an increase in interaction anxiety, owning an e-book reader, and belonging to a dispersed and nuclear family rather than an extended family were found to increase loneliness; whereas an increase in perceived economic status was shown to decrease loneliness Efforts to enhance life satisfaction and reduce loneliness among students should focus on reducing interaction anxiety and phubbing. Additionally, promoting increased physical activity could contribute significantly to improving life satisfaction. Keywords: Interaction Anxiety, Physical Activity, Phubbing, Loneliness, Life Satisfaction