Effects of Smartphone Addiction on Radiology Students’ Interpersonal Satisfaction

Background/Objectives: Although smart phone is known for its convenient functions and portability, it is also causing smart phone addiction which is becoming a serious social issue. The objective of this study was to determine the degree of smartphone dependence in university students majoring in radiology and analyze the influence of smartphone addition on their interpersonal relationships.

Method/Statistical Analysis: : A questionnaire was used to survey 431 university students about the use of smartphone. The questionnaire had 26 questions. Each question was evaluated with a 5-point Likert scale. Its Cronbach’s α value was 0.893. Students’ satisfaction for interpersonal relationship was determined according to their situation. Three additional socio-demographic characteristics (economic level, addiction, and gender) were also determined. Questions and answers were provided face-to-face.

Findings: Overreliance on smartphones was the highest in living standards with income at the “middle” level with 240 (55.64%) and female students at 184 (42.6%) in gender, higher than 247 (57.3%) for male students. In terms of interpersonal satisfaction, 247 (57.3%) male students showed high levels of satisfaction with each other’s relationships, while in terms of smartphone overreliance, the group of people who are not satisfied (3.545±0.34) showed high levels. Correlation analysis showed a static correlation between sex and smartphone over-dependence (r = .217, p<.001), and there was a negative correlation between smartphone and interpersonal satisfaction (r = -.236, p<.001).

Improvements/Applications: Based on results of this study, a program should be developed to prevent smartphone dependence of students and raise interpersonal satisfaction. Results of this study could be used as basic data necessary for education on smartphone dependence prevention in university students.