Development of the Mobile Phone Attachment Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Digital Well-being

Background:

• Existing technology use assessments often focus on negative aspects, assuming high usage indicates pathology.
• There is a need for balanced instruments to evaluate the multifaceted relationship between individuals and technology.
• Mobile phones are ubiquitous, necessitating a nuanced understanding of user interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a new instrument assessing the individual's relationship with their mobile phone.
• To move beyond negative constructs and capture beneficial aspects of technology engagement.
• To create a scale that measures multiple dimensions of mobile phone use.

Main Methods:

• An initial survey was developed and face-validated.
• The survey was administered online to 146 adult students (mean age=25.5 years).
• Principal Component Analysis with varimax rotation was used for scale development.

Main Results:

• A 27-item scale was finalized with factor loadings ranging from .50 to .81.
• The scale identified four key components: "Usefulness," "Anxious Attachment," "Addiction," and "24/7" (continuous use).
• The instrument provides a multi-dimensional assessment of the individual-mobile phone relationship.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully produced a novel instrument for assessing the complex relationship with mobile phones.
• Further validation in diverse populations and larger samples is recommended.
• Assessing the scale's predictive utility in mobile health (mHealth) interventions is a future direction.