청소년의 스마트폰 의존도가 우울에 미치는 영향 - 주의집중 문제와 학업무기력, 사회적 위축의 순차적 다중매개효과

The Effects of Adolescent Smartphone Dependency on Depression : The Serial Multiple Mediation Effect of Attention Problems, Academic Helplessness, and Social Withdrawal

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationships among adolescents’ perceived smartphone dependency, attention problems, academic helplessness, social withdrawal, and depression. Methods: The participants were 407 adolescents(boys: 210(51.6%), girls: 197(48.4%)) from the fifth-year survey of the KCYPS 2018, conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute. The data were analyzed using SPSS PROCESS Macro model 6 to examine the multiple mediating effects among the variables. Results: The results of the study showed that attention problems, academic helplessness, and social withdrawal partially mediated the relationship between smartphone dependency and depression. Second, attention problems and academic helplessness demonstrated a dual mediating effect on the relationship, excluding the role of social withdrawal. Third, a sequential triple mediation effect was found among attention problems, academic helplessness, and social withdrawal. These findings show that high smartphone dependency among adolescents leads to depression through a sequential process involving attention problems, academic helplessness, and social withdrawal. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest the need to develop and implement strategies such as attention training, academic motivation enhancement programs, and social skills training as interventions to address smartphone overdependence.