“We believe the higher susceptibility of addiction in women results from their more frequent use of smartphones to communicate and create social relationships compared to men,” said the team. (image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, June 16 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent study has revealed that women are twice as vulnerable to smartphone addiction as men.
The study was conducted by a mental health team lead by Dr. Kim Dae-jin from the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul. The team conducted an online survey aimed at 4,854 adults aged between 19 and 49, to arrive at the conclusion.
The team applied its self-developed ‘self-diagnosis criterion for adult smartphone addiction’ to the survey results, which showed that the susceptibility of women to smartphone addiction was 17.9 percent, compared to 9.4 percent for men.
By age group, 16 percent vulnerability was found for those in their 20s, 13.9 percent for those in their 30s, and 8.7 percent for those in their 40s. Education levels had no observable influence on the results.
“We believe the higher susceptibility of addiction in women results from their more frequent use of smartphones to communicate and create social relationships compared to men,” said the team.
“Generally, women also tend to have higher rates of depression than men. And depression often drives people to communicate through smartphones or online instead of face-to-face, which might have also affected the results.”
The full research findings were published in the latest edition of a scholarly journal distributed by the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
