Problematic smartphone usage and quality of life among Saudi adults

Problematic use of and/or addiction to smartphones is a cause of concern for sociologists, psychologists, and health professionals. We aimed to assess the correlation between smartphone use and perceived quality of life.

We conducted a sample survey of university students and the general public that visited health facilities in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. We used previously developed and validated questionnaires to elicit information on the extent and pattern of smartphone use and perceived quality of life. We conducted analysis of variance and binary logistic regression to evaluate the correlation between smartphone use and perceived quality of life.

About 73% of participants were university students aged 18 to 24 years; there were slightly more women than men. The mean quality of life scores for physical and psychological health was significantly lower among women, singles, students, and those 18 to 24 years old. Perceived quality of physical and psychological health was significantly lower among users of applications for music and movies than users of religious applications. Participants with the lowest level of perceived quality of physical and psychological health were between 2.5 and 2.7 times more likely to have the highest level of problematic smartphone use.

We found that problematic smartphone use was strongly associated with perceived quality of life in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. We recommend awareness campaigns to reduce problematic smartphone use, particularly among the younger population and physician training on the diagnosis and management of problematic smartphone use/addiction.