Psychometric properties of the Smartphone Addiction Inventory - Short Form (SPAI-SF) in Brazilian adolescents.

The Smartphone Addiction Inventory - Short Form (SPAI-SF) is shorter version (10 items) of the original version of SPAI (26 items). In this study, we aimed to: (i) adapt and test the internal structure of the SPAI-SF, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA), and network analysis; (ii) analyze the internal consistency, temporal stability, criterion, predictive and construct validities of the SPAI-SF. A total of 392 adolescents (M = 12.76; SD = 1.00) completed the following measures: demographic questionnaire, SPAI-SF, Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short Version (SAS-SV), and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). The CFA showed good fit indices with the original four factors, and MGCFA indicated measurement invariance for gender. Network analysis provided an understanding of the core symptoms of problematic smartphone use (PSU) for both boys and girls. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.865 (95% CI: 0.841 - 0.887) and indicated a robust temporal stability. The instrument demonstrated acceptable overall reliability measured by Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega criteria (α = 0.722; ω = 0.725) and did not show floor and ceiling effects. The scale's significant correlations demonstrated convergent and criterion validities of the SPAI-SF with SAS-SV, IAT, and Smartphone usage data. The SPAI-SF is a reliable instrument to detect PSU in adolescents.

Does excessive use of smartphones and apps make us more impulsive? An approach from behavioural economics.

PURPOSE: Problematic smartphone use has been associated with negative effects in work and school environments. This study proposes the application of a behavioural economics perspective to establish whether heavy smartphone users show a tendency to devalue the consequences of their behaviour in the long term. To address this proposition, the study sought to establish how an objective measurement of usage time of smartphones and apps might help to predict, firstly, participants' choice behaviour and, secondly, their perceived dependence levels. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: An objective measurement of the usage time of smartphones and apps was conducted over four weeks (N = 560 data points), and a computer-based intertemporal choice task and the Spanish version of the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI) were applied. The participants were twenty undergraduate college students. FINDINGS: Although the usage time of devices and apps failed to predict the choice behaviour, a correlation was found between the total usage time of smartphones and WhatsApp and Facebook apps and users' dependence level. On the other hand, dependence had a positive effect on the average selection of the impulsive choice. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper proposes the application of a behavioural economics perspective to explore the relationship between objectively measured usage time of smartphone and apps, choice behaviours in an intertemporal task and users' perceived dependence levels. This allows us to consider an alternative to the traditional psychiatric approach in an environment of increasing access to and use of mobile digital platforms.

Problematic Relationships with Smartphones of Spanish and Colombian University Students.

The presence of smartphones in the lives of the population in general, and of youth in particular, is evident, and is derived from elements such as the diversity of prices as well as the ease of access of all the resources that can be reached through the internet. With the use of a descriptive approach using a quantitative poll, the objective of the present study was to discover the opinions of university students in Spain and Colombia about smartphone use, as well as the consequences of its use, and if this use could derive into so-called problematic smartphone use (PSU). For gathering the information, the Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUSA) was utilized, with a sample size n = 4009. The main result reached was that the model obtained is structured around six factors that determined the elements in light of PSU. The initial conclusion found was that the model applied can be utilized with Colombian students, with young Spanish women and students in the macro area of Social Sciences, the ones who had problematic behavior with the devices, as compared to the Health Sciences students who did not have it.