Social Aspects of Problematic Smartphone Use: Development and Validation of the PSSNUS and Mental Health Implications for Spanish Youth

Abstract

Purpose: Addressing the complex pattern of digital behaviors and interactions among youth, this research introduces a novel comprehensive scale, the Problematic Smartphone and Social Network Use Scale (PSSNUS), meticulously developed and validated across five studies. Methods: Using a mixed-methods approach across five stages, including focus groups (Study 1; n = 31), cognitive interviews (Study 2; n = 16), exploratory factor analysis (Study 3; n = 316), and expert panel (Study 4; n = 4), this procedure reduced 58 initial items to an 18-item scale. Subsequently, a confirmatory factor analysis and further analyses (Study 5; n = 355) examined the factorial structure's replicability, reliability, and validity of the scale. Results: The PSSNUS manifested as a reliable (omega ranging 0.70-0.89) instrument, comprising a structure with five key factors (x2 = 173.994, df = 125, p = 0.002, CFI = 0.994, CFI = 0.993, SRMR = 0.039, and RMSEA = 0.027) that capture both individual and social aspects of this construct: Psychological dependence (PD), Online interaction preference (OIP), Digital recognition desire (DRD), Social networks control seeking (SNCS), and Productivity loss (PL). Minor gender differences in both the DRD factor and in the overall score were found, with females scoring higher. The PSSNUS showed convergent and divergent validity through significant but modest correlations with daily smartphone usage hours, procrastination, emotional intelligence and mental health symptomatology (anxiety, depression and stress). This measure further exhibited incremental validity, controlling for other possible predictors, regarding anxiety, depression, and stress (6.5, 11.5 and 7.5% of additional variance explained), highlighting the DRD dimension's unique predictive power. Conclusion: Emerging as a solid instrument, the PSSNUS broadens the concept of problematic smartphone use among young Spaniards to include social functioning aspects, serving as an interesting tool for those aiming to explore further the adverse influence of digital media on youth.