Smartphone Addiction as a Mediating Pathway Between Personality Traits and Job Performance
N. Rmadi, A. Kchaou, R. Affes, A. Hrairi, M. Hajjaji, K. Jmal HammamiIntroduction
Personality traits influence professional performance, yet their impact may be distorted by behavioral addictions.
Objectives
To determine whether smartphone addiction mediates the relationship between personality traits and work performance among medical residents.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2025 among 429 Tunisian medical residents. Personality was assessed with the BFI-20, smartphone addiction with SAS-SV, and performance with IWPQ. Mediation models using hierarchical linear regression estimated indirect effects.
Results
Conscientiousness was a strong positive predictor of job performance (β=0.488, p<0.001). However, smartphone addiction significantly mediated the effects of extraversion (indirect effect β=–0.219, p<0.001) and neuroticism (β=–0.161, p<0.001) on performance. While these traits were directly associated with higher performance, their benefits were partly offset when residents exhibited problematic smartphone use.
Conclusions
Smartphone addiction acts as a mediating pathway, attenuating the positive effects of certain personality traits on performance. Targeted interventions to reduce smartphone overuse could preserve the beneficial influence of personality on residents’ occupational efficiency.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared