Smartphone Addiction and its Impacts on Loneliness, Happiness, and Satisfaction with Life in Medical Students with Different Personalities During COVID-19 Pandemic

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Physiology, Arunai Medical College& Hospital, Tiruvannamalai, India

2 Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Guwahati, Assam, India

3 Department of Neuropsychiatry, GNRC Medical, North Guwahati, Assam, India

10.34172/ahj.2023.1446

Abstract

Background: In this digital era, around the globe, smartphones have become ubiquitous and an indispensable part of everyday 
life. Despite being a highly productive tool, smartphone is often overused or misused leading to addiction. Studies have been 
carried out to assess factors influencing smartphone addiction, but very little focus has been placed on psychosocial changes in 
adults with different personalities, especially among medical students. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the influence of
smartphone addiction on personality among medical students in South India.
Methods: A validated extrovert and Introvert Personality Inventory (IPEI) was administered to assess the personality after obtaining 
the necessary permissions. Using a validated questionnaire, the satisfaction with life, subjective happiness, and loneliness scales 
were administered via Google Forms.
Findings: The results showed there was a statistically significant increase in life satisfaction and loneliness scores among the 
extroverts in the mobile phone addiction group compared with the non-addiction group (P<0.0001).
Conclusion: Considering the impact of cell phones on various factors in adults in different areas can complement the nationwide 
statistics so as to formulate a health policy to address the vulnerable population and thus prevent the deterioration of the 
psychosocial behavior of the young generation.

Highlights

Jeneth Berlin Raj: (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Krishnan Srinivasan: (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Vishnupriya Veeraraghavan: (Google Scholar) (PubMed)

Keywords


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