Prevalence of Smartphone Addiction in Patients with Depression and Its Association with Depression Severity: a Cross-sectional Study

Advancement in smartphone technology has brought about a steady rise in the global mobile phone usage. Smartphone addiction has been widely studied among adolescent and adult population, and little is known regarding its impact on patients who are diagnosed with major depressive disorder. This study examined the prevalence of smartphone addiction among depressed patients and the association between smartphone addiction and the severity of depression. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 140 patients who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder in the psychiatry department of University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Smartphone addiction was assessed with the smartphone addiction scale (SAS). The severity of depression was assessed using the clinician-rated Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 58.6% (n = 82). This study found that (a) participants who spent more time on their smartphones were found to be at higher risk for smartphone addiction “overuse” subscale (p < 0.01) and (b) smartphone addiction was not associated with the severity of depression. This study highlights the need for more studies in this field of research.