DOI: 10.1177/10538127261500499 ISSN: 1053-8127

Relationships between technology addiction, musculoskeletal discomfort, and life satisfaction among university students: A cross-sectional analysis

Ayşe Ünal, Şeref Duhan Altuğ, Gülsüm Tikaç
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Background

The rapid integration of technology into daily life has raised concerns about physical and psychosocial health. Problematic smartphone and internet use may coexist with prolonged static postures and musculoskeletal discomfort among university students.

Objective

To examine the relationships of smartphone and internet addiction with academic performance, musculoskeletal discomfort, life satisfaction, and health-related quality of life among university students.

Methods

This descriptive cross-sectional study began in 2020 and included 473 university students (258 males, 215 females). Validated questionnaires assessed smartphone and internet addiction, musculoskeletal discomfort, health-related quality of life, and life satisfaction. Grade point average was recorded. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlations were used.

Results

Smartphone and internet addiction scores showed weak and negligible positive correlations with musculoskeletal discomfort, respectively ( r  = 0.111 and r  = 0.091). Both scores were weakly associated with poorer health-related quality of life. Internet addiction scores were weakly associated with lower life satisfaction; the association for smartphone addiction scores was not statistically significant. Neither score was significantly associated with grade point average.

Conclusion

Higher smartphone and internet addiction scores were associated with greater musculoskeletal discomfort and poorer health-related quality of life, although the associations were small.

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