Smartphone Addiction and Symptoms of Brain Fog among Emerging Adults

Smartphone addiction has become an increasingly common problem in the modern digital age of emerging adults. This compulsion over smartphones usually causes a break in daily routines, lowering productivity and creating tension in social relationships. The most concerning symptom is the emergence of brain fog, which manifests as a cognitive problem through symptoms like inability to focus, forgetfulness and mental exhaustion. Present research consisted of a single main study with a sample of (N = 321) participants, consisted of both men and women of age range 18 to 29 years, mostly were Rawalpindi and Islamabad's university students. All scales and sub-scales had alpha coefficients in an acceptable range. Pearson Product-Moment correlation showed that smartphone addiction was significantly and positively correlated with brain fog symptoms. Associations of the study variables with demographics, i.e. marital status, employment status and impact of trauma faced in the last 6 months, were also studied with the help of an independent sample t-test. Married individuals were found to score higher on smartphone addiction. Furthermore, unemployed individuals were significantly higher on physiological symptoms of brain fog. Along with it, those who faced trauma scored significantly high on brain fog and all three of its symptom domains.