Relationship between Smartphone Addiction Severity and Depression among College Students

Background: The main of this study was to determine the smartphone usage pattern and the relationship between smartphone addiction severity and depression. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the college campus of Amar Jyoti Rehabilitation Center, Delhi over a duration of six months. Data collection was done using a self-administered questionnaire containing PHQ-9 Scale and SAS-SV Scale which was analyzed using IBM SPSS Version 25. Results: Among 300 study participants the majority of them 53.3% were from urban locality. Mean time spent on the smartphone was found to be 3.20 hours with a standard deviation of 1.76 hours. Smartphone usage was highest during midnight hours. Social networking 53.3% was the most common cause for smartphone use. The major depressive disorder was present in the study population. The Pearson correlation between the Smartphone addiction severity, depression and gender was found to be strong and significant. Conclusion: In conclusion, the smartphone addiction has not been studied well in India and its impact is underestimated as compared to other addiction’s. Hence, more focus should be put on research and prevention strategies related to smartphone addiction.