Although numerous studies have examined factors that influence smartphone addiction, few have
analyzed the potential protective factors inherent in individuals that may benefit future intervention
programs for smartphone addiction.
Thus, this study established a model for analyzing the mediating
effect that learning self-efficacy and social self-efficacy have on the relationship between university stu-
dents’ perceived life stress and smartphone addiction. Sampling 387 Taiwanese university students, we
distributed scales surveying for university students’ life stress, learning self-efficacy, social self-efficacy,
and smartphone addiction.
Data retrieved from the scales were analyzed using structural equation
modeling (SEM).
The SEM path analysis yielded the following results: (1) Academic stress had negative
predictive power for social and learning self-efficacies, and interpersonal relationship stress had negative
predictive power for social self-efficacy.
(2) Social self-efficacy had positive predictive power for
smartphone addiction.
(3) Family and emotional stresses had positive predictive power for smartphone
addiction. Generally, the results of this study could be used to significantly predict the life stresses that
influenced university students’ smartphone addiction.
In addition, social self-efficacy can be considered
a cognitive mechanism that mediates the relationships between academic stress and smartphone
addiction and between interpersonal relationship stress and smartphone addiction.
Finally, we discussed
the research results and offered relevant suggestions for schools, university students, and future studies.