US Students With Mobile Phone Addiction Are Likely To Have More Sexual Partners, Research Suggests

University students' overuse of mobiles may be related to "lower grades, drinking problems, and more sexual partners," according to the latest study. The aim of the research was to estimate mental health and wellbeing among university students as well as to see the impact mobile phones have on them. The Typical Student team learned more about the study results recently published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions.

How Much Time Do Students Spend On Their Mobiles? 

3,400 students taking degrees in the US took part in the survey. Turns out, students who claimed they had problems with how much time they spend on their phones, tend to have more sexual partners. However, these respondents were more likely to report anxiety or depression. The scientists who conducted the survey commented that the findings were "concerning". As told by BBC News, researchers from the University of Chicago, University of Cambridge, and the University of Minnesota are responsible for developing the Health and Addictive Behaviours Survey.

Sample Survey Questions

Take a look at the sample questions included in the survey: 

• do friends or relatives complain about excessive use?
• do you have problems concentrating in class or at work due to smartphone use?
• do you feel fretful or impatient without your smartphone?
• do you feel the amount of time you are on it has increased over time?
• are you missing work due to smartphone use?
• are you experiencing physical consequences of excessive use, such as light-headedness or blurred vision?

The students were asked to give positive or negative answers to the questions above. One in five students answered "yes" to the majority of questions to conclude they're overusing their phones. Over 60% of respondents in that group are female.

What Did The Study Find?

And now to the key findings of the study:

• the number of students who had two or more sexual partners in the past 12 months correlates with overuse of mobile phones.

- 37.4% compared who admitted having a mobile overuse problem;

- 27.2% of students reported no problem use;

• the number of students who admitted to having six or more sexual partners was more than double among the people who said they overused their smartphones.

Consultant psychiatrist at the University of Cambridge, Dr Sam Chamberlain, who's also one of the authors of the survey, commented as follows: 

"It could be that people are using smartphones to date via apps, but they also might be neglecting more normal relationships because of overuse of their phones.

"The strongest finding was that people reporting problematic use of their phones were also more likely to have the trait of impulsiveness, and this could also play a part in the number of sexual partners they have.

"If this was a healthy thing we'd expect to see better self-esteem and less mental health issues but the opposite was the case."