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. 2018 Aug 13:9:1444.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01444. eCollection 2018.

Smartphone Restriction and Its Effect on Subjective Withdrawal Related Scores

Tine A Eide  1 , Sarah H Aarestad  2 , Cecilie S Andreassen  3 , Robert M Bilder  4 , Ståle Pallesen  2
Affiliations

Smartphone Restriction and Its Effect on Subjective Withdrawal Related Scores

Tine A Eide et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Excessive smartphone use has been associated with a number of negative consequences for the individual and the environment. Some similarities can be observed between excessive smartphone usage and several behavioural addictions, and continual usage constitutes one of several characteristics included in addiction. In the extreme high end of the distribution of smartphone usage, smartphone restriction might be expected to elicit negative effects for individuals. These negative effects may be regarded as withdrawal symptoms traditionally associated with substance-related addictions. To address this timely issue, the present study examined scores on the Smartphone Withdrawal Scale (SWS), the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOS) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) during 72 h of smartphone restriction. A sample of 127 participants (72.4% women), aged 18-48 years (M = 25.0, SD = 4.5), were randomly assigned into one of two conditions: a restricted condition (experimental group, n = 67) or a control condition (control group, n = 60). During the restriction period participants completed the aforementioned scales three times a day. The results revealed significantly higher scores on the SWS and FoMOS for participants allocated to the restricted condition than those assigned to the control condition. Overall the results suggest that smartphone restriction could cause withdrawal symptoms.

Keywords: FoMO; PANAS; behavioural addiction; experimental study; restriction; smartphone; withdrawal.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Progression model illustrating the experimental design.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Flowchart participant recruitment.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Mean scores on the Smartphone Withdrawal Scale (SWS) for the restricted and control condition. The error bars represent standard error mean for each value. ∗p < 0.05 for main effect of condition, †p < 0.05 for main effect of time, and ∫p < 0.05 for Time 1 compare to Time 9.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Mean scores on the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) Scale for the restricted (n = 67) and control (n = 60) condition. The error bars represent standard error mean for each value. ∗p < 0.05 for main effect of condition, †p textitp < 0.05 for effect of time, ∫p < 0.05 for Time 2 and Time 4 compared to Time 9, and ∫p < 0.001 for Time 1 compared to Time 9.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Mean scores on Positive Affect (PA) for the restricted (n = 67) and control (n = 60) condition. The error bars represent standard error mean for each value. †p < 0.001 for main effect of time.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Mean scores on Negative Affect (NA) for the restricted (n = 67) and control (n = 60) condition. The error bars represent standard error mean for each value.
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