• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2017

Background: Smartphone addiction, academic stress and anxiety of university students are increasing gradually; however, few studies have investigated these factors in medical school students. Therefore, this study investigated associations between smartphone addiction scale and sociopsychological aspects in medical school students. Methods: A total of 231 Yeungnam University College of Medicine students were enrolled in this study in March 2017. Gender, school grade, type of residence, and smartphone usage patterns of the students were surveyed. The Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale and each Korean version scale were used to assess sociopsychological aspects such as loneliness, stress and anxiety. Results: There was a direct statistical correlation between loneliness, stress of negative perception, anxiety and smartphone addiction scales. There was also a negative statistical correlation between stress of positive perception and smartphone addiction scales. There was a higher level of anxiety among female students than male students. Additionally, there was a higher level of stress associated with negative perception and anxiety among medical students in the first grade than other students. Moreover there was a higher level of loneliness, stress of negative perception and anxiety among students who live with friends than students who live with their own family. Conclusion: Smartphone addiction scale and sociopsychological aspects significantly correlated. Moreover, the results suggest that female medical students in the first grade who have been separated from their family need more attention and management of loneliness, stress and anxiety to avoid smartphone addiction.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1323-1328
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• 2016

This study aims to identify the beneficial effects of forest experience on emotional changes in young children who are exposed to smartphones in daily life. This research was conducted on 41 children aged five and six years at a kindergarten in Chungcheongnamdo province. The children participated in a five-month forest experience program, conducted twice a week. Before beginning the study, its purpose and procedure were explained to the children's parents and kindergarten teachers, after which written content was collected. Before and after the five-month experience, questionnaires about smartphone use and emotional conditions were administered through the parents. The participants were divided into two groups, namely average-use and high-use groups, depending on the smartphone addiction proneness score. It was found that negative psychological subscales such as anxiety, impulse, and depression decreased following the five-month forest experience in both groups. Positive psychological attitudes such as sociability and creativity increased significantly after the forest experience. The high-use group showed a wider range of positive changes compared to the average-use group. Accordingly, forest experiences can be used as an effective solution for smartphone addiction problems among young children.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.409-418
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to verify the causal relationship between the smartphone addiction proneness, mental health, and impulsiveness of high school students in Korea. 804 first and second year high school students participated in the survey that included the Smartphone addiction scale, Korean Brief Mental Diagnosis Exam - the highest 25% of total score (Addictive SmartPhone Use Group : ASPUG 213 persons), the lowest 25% of total score(Non-Addictive SmartPhone Use Group : NASPUG 204 persons), BIS-II Impulsiveness Scale and additional questions asking for demographical characteristics. The outcomes of this study were as follows. First, sex, grade of high school, academic accomplishment, student's satisfaction with school life, monthly allowance, the level of parental respect, having a opposite sex friend were related to smartphone addiction and impulsiveness. Second, ASPUG had worse mental health and impulsiveness than NASPUG, and the difference was statistically significant. Third, Students showed higher levels of mental health 9 subareas - anxiety, depression, phobic anxiety, Somatization, obsessive compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, Paranoid ideation, Psychosis as their smartphone use increased.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.188-196
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of parent-child communication style on smartphone addiction and depression among female college students. The subjects were 151 female students in three different universities located in S city. Data collection for Parent-Adolescent Communication Inventory (PACI), Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) were conducted from November 1 to December 8, 2017. The collected data were analyzed by t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. Smartphone addiction in college students was 35.08 (SD = 6.83), and when communication with the mother was absent and the problem recognized, smartphone addiction was higher (${\beta}=.27$, p = .028). Open communication with the father lowered smartphone addiction (${\beta}=-.27$, p = .030). Depression in female college students was 15.86 (SD = 10.45), and 45% experienced depression. Depression was higher when communication with the mother was higher (${\beta}=.29$, p = .022). Therefore, a customized communication program that focuses on parent-child communication as a strategy to reduce or prevent degree of addiction and depression of female college students will be helpful.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.2
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• pp.277-284
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• 2015

This study aims to evaluate the impact of forest therapy on neuro-cognitive, psychosocial, and physiological aspect of adolescent internet addiction risk group. We have classified potential and high risk user group as internet addiction risk group according to the criteria of Korean Internet Addiction Proneness Scale(K Scale). Based on the results of k-scale from the adolescents in metropolitan area from May to July 2013, 25 people were selected as Internet addiction risk group. We have randomized 13 participants joining forest therapy camp and 12 participants not joining one, and analyzed the change of the two groups with Continuous Performance, Kimberly S. Young, Connor-Davidson Resilience, Relationship Change Scale, heart rate variability and cortisol. Statistically significant changes were observedd in neuro-cognitive, psychosocial, and physiological variables, Through this study, we can consider that the therapy healing may relieve the level of internet addiction and can be an alternative to control emotional stability and impulsive behavior.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.289-297
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between smartphone addiction and interpersonal competence of college students using social network service(SNS) through smartphones. This study used a descriptive study design. The convenience sample consisted of 502 college students in six cities. The data were collected from May to June in 2012 using Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale and Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2$-test, t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. The results showed that 24.8% of SNS users were considered as a risk group, while 75.2% were normal user group. There were no significant differences of interpersonal competence between risk group and normal user group in the SNS users. However, risk group had higher self-disclosure scores than normal user group. The subjects who had higher scores for virtual life, one of smartphone addiction subdomains, had lower interpersonal competence and those with higher smartphone addiction scores showed lower score of managing interpersonal conflict in subdomains of interpersonal competence. These findings would contribute in development of preventive interventions for smartphone addiction and improvement program for interpersonal competence in college students.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2018

Objectives: To investigate the association of problematic Internet use with oral health behaviors and oral health status in a nationally representative sample of Korean adolescents. Methods: Data from the 2010 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (73238 Korean adolescents; mean age $15.06{\pm}1.75years$; age range, 12-18 years) were used. Problematic Internet use was measured using the Korean Internet Addiction Proneness Scale for Youth-Short Form. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess oral health behaviors and oral health status of adolescents. Results: Problematic Internet users were less likely to brush their teeth frequently [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.56-0.63] and at school after lunch (AOR=0.89; 95% CI=0.83-0.94) as well as more likely to perceive their oral health to be poorer (AOR=1.63, 95% CI=1.54-1.72) and experience oral symptoms (AOR=1.75, 95% CI=1.65-1.86) compared to usual Internet users. Conclusion: The study results indicate that problematic Internet use may adversely affect the oral health of Korean adolescents. Thus, oral health screening and Internet-based education are needed for adolescents experiencing problematic Internet use.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.248-261
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• 2018

This study, the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMO Scale) developed by Przybylski et al. (2013) was adapted and validated to the Korean culture. 3-factors were constructed through EFA and item content analysis. In the CFA, 3 models were constructed to verify the fit of the model. Compared the goodness of fit, 3-factors model with 8 items proved to be the most appropriate. Sub-factors extracted through the characteristic context and rationale of Korean culture are 'belonging needs', 'extrinsic motivation', and 'relative deprivation'. K-FoMO scale and the reliability level of each sub-factor were good. Convergent validity was assessed by significant correlation the K-FoMO scores with life satisfaction, positive emotions, negative emotions, and SNS addiction proneness. Discriminant validity was assessed by low correlation with gratitude. At the end, limitation and suggestions for the future research were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.137-143
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• 2021

Objectives: Despite the growing concern regarding the adverse effects related to problematic smartphone use (PSU), little is known about underlying morphologic changes in the brain. The brainstem is a deep brain structure that consists of several important nuclei associated with emotions, sensations, and motor functions. In this study, we sought to examine the difference in the volume of brainstem substructures among adolescents with and without PSU. Methods: A total of 87 Korean adolescents participated in this study. The PSU group (n=20, age=16.2±1.1, female:male=12:8) was designated if participants reported a total Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS) score of ≥42, whereas the remaining participants were assigned to the control group (n=67, age=15.3±1.7, female:male=19:48). High-resolution T1 magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and the volume of each of the four brainstem substructures [midbrain, pons, medulla, and superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP)] was measured. Analysis of covariance was conducted to reveal group differences after adjusting for effects of age, gender, whole brainstem volume, depressive symptoms, and impulsivity. Results: The PSU group showed a significantly smaller volume of the SCP than the control group (F=8.273, p=0.005). The volume of the SCP and the SAPS score were negatively correlated (Pearson's r=-0.218, p=0.047). Conclusion: The present study is the first to reveal an altered volume of the brainstem substructure among adolescents with PSU. This finding suggests that the altered white matter structure in the brainstem could be one of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying behavioral changes in PSU.