Correlation between excessive smartphone usage, basic psychological needs, and mental health of university students

Objectives: The primary aim of the current study was to examine the unique contribution of psychological need frustration and need satisfaction in the prediction of excessive usage of smartphones and its relation to psychological distress and mindfulness. Methods: We conducted a correlational study using the smartphone addiction scale – shorter version, basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration scale, psychological distress, and mindfulness among 423 graduate and postgraduate engineering students from Bengaluru, South India. Results: The results showed that excessive usage of smartphones is positively correlated with the time spent on the phone r = 0.19, P ≤ 0.05; and basic psychological needs frustration r = 0.18, P ≤ 0.05; and negatively correlated with basic psychological needs satisfaction r = −0.19, P ≤ 0.05 and mindfulness r = −0.39, P ≤ 0.001. However, among the optimal users of the smartphone group, time spent is positively correlated with satisfaction at r = 0.13, P ≤ 0.05, and further, basic psychological needs satisfaction is negatively correlated with frustration at r = 0.30, P ≤ 0.001 and also found a positive correlation between mindfulness and basic psychological needs satisfaction at r = 0.31, P ≤ 0.001. Conclusion: The results suggest that excessive usage of smartphones is associated with frustration, psychological distress, and time spent on the mobile. However, there is a positive trend in the time spent on the phone among the optimal users of smartphones suggests that smartphones are used as a coping mechanism to gain momentary satisfaction.