Psychosocial and personality trait associates of phubbing and being phubbed in hispanic emerging adult college students

Phubbing is when one uses their smartphone in a social interaction instead of interacting with the other individual(s) in their presence. Phubbing and being phubbed are growing concerns as the number of smartphones and frequency of smartphone use increases. This study assessed the relationships between phubbing, being phubbed, psychosocial constructs, and socially adverse personality traits among Hispanic emerging adult college students. Hispanic college students (n = 452) completed a survey assessing: sociodemographics, phubbing, being phubbed, depression, anxiety, stress, Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and need for drama (interpersonal manipulation, impulsive outspokenness, persistent perceived victimhood). Hispanic emerging adult college students reported low-to-moderate levels of phubbing and being phubbed. Regarding phubbing findings, nomophobia (fear of separation from one’s phone), interpersonal conflict, and problem acknowledgement were positively associated with negative affect. Moreover, interpersonal conflict, self-isolation, and problem acknowledgement were positively associated with interpersonal manipulation. Regarding being phubbed findings, perceived norms, feeling ignored, and interpersonal conflict were positively associated with persistent perceived victimhood. Findings indicate that Hispanic college students may use their smartphones in social settings to alleviate negative affect. Moreover, a virtual environment on a smartphone may be easier to manipulate and can be used to continue garnering attention and portraying oneself as the victim, fulfilling one’s need for drama. Regarding exploratory mediations, phubbing and being phubbed mediated the relationships between multiple socially adverse personality traits and negative affect. The clinical implications of these results are discussed. Prospective studies are warranted to determine temporality. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04767-y.