Cognitive failures and hand/neck discomfort: Does smartphone addiction contribute?

Background: Due to the emergence of smartphone addiction, as a 21th century phenomenon, investigating its subsequent negative effects is essential.

Objective: The present study aims to test the predicting effect of smartphone addiction on musculoskeletal discomfort in hand/neck region as well as cognitive failures.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed in which 533 smartphone users (60.2% females and 39.8% males; mean age: 35.9±11.0 years) participated. Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), Cognitive Failures Questionnaires (CFQ), Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Cornell Hand Discomfort Questionnaire (CHDQ) were used for data collection. Age, gender and occupational use of electronic devices were considered as socio-demographic factors. Independent t-test, chi-square, and logistic regression were used for data analysis.

Results: The overall prevalence of smartphone addiction was 37.9% among Iranian 20-61 years users. Addicted smartphone users were 3.3, 2.2, 2.9, and 2.8 times more likely to develop musculoskeletal discomfort in right hand, left hand, neck, and cognitive failures than non-addicted smartphone users. High occupational use of electronic devices predicted right-hand discomfort (by 2.6 times) as well as cognitive failures (by 3.4 times). Women were significantly more likely to develop all the studied outcomes. Age did not predict any of the studied outcomes.

Conclusions: Addiction to smartphones can lead to a sharp rise in the prevalence of neck and hand discomfort, as well as cognitive failures, particularly among working age people. This is concerning issue that requires effective preventive and corrective measures. Developing behavioral approaches to address this problem can help reduce its impact on society.