Relationship between Loneliness, Social Interaction Anxiety, and Absentmindedness among Young Adult Smartphone Users in Mumbai

Description

Page: 331-333

Devanshi Shah and Anuja Deshpande (Department of Psychology, Maniben Nanavati College, Mumbai, Maharashtra)

With the surge of smartphones and advancements in technology, a lot of researchers have focused their attention on smartphone usage and smartphone addiction. However, the current study tries to shed some light on absentminded scrolling over smartphones and its association with loneliness and social interaction anxiety among young adult smartphone users in the Indian context. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation was used in combination with purposive and snowball techniques to understand this relationship. The scales used included: The ULS loneliness scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), and Smartphone Usage Questionnaire Absentminded version. The sample consisted of 128 participants (Males 58 & Females 70) residing in Mumbai, who were active smartphone users for the past 6 months or more and under the age range of 18-25 years. The findings of the study validated the hypothesis which indicated a significant positive relationship between the variables.