The associations between smart device use and psychological distress among secondary and high school students in Kuwait

BACKGROUND: Smart devices (SDs) are widely used among adolescents. Numerous studies have recommended further research on this topic to find out the prevalence of SD overuse among school students and to what extent this is associated with psychological distress. The present study aimed to investigate the pattern of SD use among secondary and high school students in the state of Kuwait, as well as the possible associations with psychological problems, weight, physical activity, and school performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The correlational study design aimed to survey students from public schools by using a questionnaire and valid instruments, which included: Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version (SAS-SV) and Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Scale–(DASS-21). Pearson’s correlation coefficient, t-tests, one-way ANOVA were applied to find associations or significant differences between the categorical variables, in which p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The study included 1,993 students from secondary schools (48.9%) and high schools (51.1%), of which 47.5% were male and 52.5% were female. There were significant statistical differences in the pattern of use of SDs, addiction to SD use, stress, anxiety, and depression according to gender, school type, school performance, and sport engagement. In addition, there were positive correlations between students’ addiction to SD use and stress, anxiety, and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that excessive SD use is associated with addiction among secondary and high school students. In addition, levels of stress, anxiety, and depression differ according to the number of hours of SD use. Strategies should be developed at the community and school levels to avoid the overuse of SDs among school-aged students.