AUTHOR=Zhang Kexin , Guo Haiyun , Wang Tianli , Zhang Jianghui , Yuan Guojing , Ren Juan , Zhang Xueqing , Yang Huayu , Lu Xiaoyan , Zhu Zhihui , Du Jun , Shi Haiyan , Jin Guifang , Hao Jiahu , Sun Ying , Su Puyu , Zhang Zhihua 

TITLE=A bidirectional association between smartphone addiction and depression among college students: A cross-lagged panel model

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1083856

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1083856

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background
Smartphone addiction (SA) is associated with adverse consequences, especially for freshmen. Evidence indicates that SA is associated with depression, and it is necessary to conduct a longitudinal study to explore the association further.
Methods
SA (measured by the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version) and depression (measured by the Zung’s Self-Rating Depression Scale) among 1,186 freshmen were surveyed at baseline and a respective 12-month follow-up for each participant. The application of a cross-lagged panel model approach (CLPM) revealed an association between SA and depression after adjusting for demographic variables.
Results
The CLPM results showed a significant path from baseline SA to follow-up depression (β=0.08, P<0.001) and a significant path from baseline depression to follow-up SA (β=0.08, P<0.001). Compared with the overall cross-lagged model, the cross-lagged coefficient of the path from baseline SA to follow-up depression increased in the female group (β=0.10, P=0.015), and the cross-lagged coefficient of the path from baseline depression to follow-up SA also increased significantly (β=0.15, P<0.001). In contrast, the cross-lagged model in the male group showed no predictive effect between SA and depression (P>0.05).
Conclusions
The current study showed a significant bidirectional association between smartphone addiction and depression among freshmen, but only in the female population.