Problematic smartphone use and disengagement in first-year college students: A daily diary study of between- and...

Existing evidence suggests that problematic smartphone use (PSU) and disengagement may form part of a spiraling process. This investigation explores this process among first-year undergraduates, distinguishing within-person fluctuations from between-person rank order stability. Over 30 consecutive days, 104 first-year undergraduates in China (M_age = 18.62, SD = 0.96, 55.1% female) completed daily surveys that assessed PSU and disengagement. Dynamic structural equation modeling indicated a bidirectional lagged association whereby higher-than-usual PSU on a given day was prospectively associated with higher-than-usual disengagement the next day, and higher-than-usual disengagement on a given day was prospectively associated with higher-than-usual PSU the next day. Individuals with higher PSU than their peers tended to report greater disengagement, with PSU consistently amplifying its impact on disengagement. Neither family socioeconomic status nor gender significantly influenced the model. The findings highlight a harmful cycle of daily reinforcement at the within-person level, coupled with consistent associations at the between-person level. Given the importance of the first year of university, the findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that address both PSU and disengagement and aim to attenuate their bidirectional association.