PERSONALITY TRAITS, SOCIAL ANXIETY AND GENDER AS PREDICTORS OF SMARTPHONE ADDICTION AMONG STUDENTS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

The study investigated whether personality traits, social anxiety, and gender have predictive relationship with Smartphone addiction. Data were collected using cross-sectional design from a sample of 203 (121 female and 82 male) youths in Enugu State. Participants completed self-reported measures of personality traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to experience), Social Anxiety and Smartphone addiction. Hierarchical multiple regression results showed that personality traits (Extraversion (β=.19), Agreeableness (β=.02), Conscientiousness (β=-.09, p=.00), Neuroticism (β=.18, p=.00) and Openness to experience (β=.05) and gender (β=-.00, p=.00) had no predictive relationship with Smartphone addiction but Social Anxiety (β = .27, p<.01) had a significant positive predictive relationship with smart phone addiction. It is thus recommended that parents and significant others regulate Smartphone use of their wards so as to promote a healthy and optimal health functioning in them.