The adolescents’ smart phone addiction is becoming social concerns amid pointing out the side effects of smart phone caused by rapid supply of it. This study examined the influence of family environment factors such as parents attachment and family ...
The adolescents’ smart phone addiction is becoming social concerns amid pointing out the side effects of smart phone caused by rapid supply of it. This study examined the influence of family environment factors such as parents attachment and family meal on the adolescents’ smart phone addiction. In addition, this study was performed to establish the factors relevant with smart phone addiction, in order to overcome the limitations of other researches that focusing on the influence of the personal perspectives such as personal psychological adjustment and mental health on the adolescents’ smart phone addiction. To establish the study, the uses of smart phone and current condition of family meal were examined. In addition, the general characteristics and uses of smart phone according to the differences of groups were searched. Lastly, the influence of adolescents’ parents attachment and family meal perception on smart phone addiction were examined.
To collect the data, the questionnaire survey was conducted to 680 students at middle school around Seoul and Gyeonggi-do province from March to April 2014, and 596 students data was used. To measure the adolescents’ smart phone addiction the Smart phone Addiction Proneness Scale, developed by National Information Society Agency, was used. The scale for parent’s attachment, the parents attachment scale for elementary, middle, high school in Korea was used. To examine the perception and condition, the measurement tool used by So Young Yun(2013). The SPSS WIN 18.0 program was used for collected data, and the method of analysis is as in the following.
The descriptive statistic was used to analyze the general characteristics of subjects, the pattern of using the smart phone, and current state of family meal. The t-test, ANOVA test and Scheffe test was conducted into general factor to analyze the influence of smart phone addiction and to verify the differences. The correlation analysis was conducted to find out the relation of parents attachment and family meal with smart phone addiction. The multiple regression analysis was conducted to verify how the major factors such as general characteristics, parents attachment and family meal affects to smart phone addiction.
As the result of the study, at the survey the 238(39.9%) respondents, the highest, used smart phone from 1 year to 2 year, and 184(30.9%) respondents, the highest, were using smart phone from 2 hours to 3 hours, 298(50%) respondents, the highest, used SNS and kakaotalk as the main function of the smart phone. The 281(47.1%) respondents answered, the highest, they use smart phone for more broad communications(such as kakaotalk) with people.
At the survey of the condition of the family meal, 204(34.2%) respondents answered, the family meal frequency was ‘more than one’ each day, 384(64.4%) respondents answered, they mainly have ‘supper with family’. The 272(45.7%) respondents answered ‘weekend, and holiday’ at the question of ‘Usually when do you have family meal?’, 195(32.8%) respondents answered ‘30 min~40min’ for average time of the meal. Those are the highest of the survey. The 420(70.5%) respondents answered ‘mother’ is the one who make the meal, and 463(77.7%) respondents answered, ‘No time for family meal’ for ‘Reason for not joining for family meal.’ It was the highest.
Second, the smart phone addiction according to general characteristics and the using patterns of smart phone showed significant difference by gender, school year, academic background of parents, the period of using smart phone, average using time of smart phone, major using functions of smart phone. Female students were more addicted to smart phone than male students, and the 3rd grade showed significantly high addiction than 1st and 2nd grade. The smart phone addiction was highly showed when they use instant messenger such as SNS and kakaotalk as the major using functions.
Third, among the smart phone addicted group, the parents attachment and family meal perception, and frequency of family meal highly showed in general user group, also user group with potential risk and high risk user group was next.
Fourth, the relation between the adolescent’s parent attachment, family meal and smart phone addiction had negative correlation. This means that the correlation between smart phone addiction and the father attachment, mother attachment, family meal perception, and frequency of family meal is negative and significant. In addition, parents attachment and family meal had significant positive correlation with smart phone addiction.
Fifth, the father attachment influenced significantly on smart phone addiction, and the mother attachment showed insignificant influence in adolescents’parents attachment. The family meal perception and frequency showed significant influence on addition. Also, among the general variables, the father attachment, family meal perception, meal frequency, gender, grade, function of smart phone, the family meal perception showed the most influence on adolescents’ smart phone addiction. Female students, 3rd grade in middle school, the group whose major using functions are messenger such SNS, kakaotalk highly showed addicted to smart phone. The effective improvement measures have to be suggested such as increasing the father attachment, frequent family meal, changing the positive perception and attitude toward to family meal.