Self-injury and Smartphone Addiction: Age and gender differences in a community sample of adolescents presenting self-injurious behavior

Elisa Mancinelli; Ona Sharka; Tatiana Lai; Eleonora Sgaravatti; Silvia Salcuni

doi:10.1177/20551029211038811

Self-injury and Smartphone Addiction: Age and gender differences in a community sample of adolescents presenting self-injurious behavior

Health Psychol Open. 2021 Oct 11;8(2):20551029211038811. doi: 10.1177/20551029211038811. eCollection 2021 Jul-Dec.

Authors

Elisa Mancinelli¹, Ona Sharka¹, Tatiana Lai², Eleonora Sgaravatti^{2

3}, Silvia Salcuni¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
² The Net-ONLUS, Padua, Italy.
³ Complex Psychology Unit - Infancy, Adolescence and Family, USSL3, Via Piazzetta Unità d'Italia, Padua, Italy.

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the variables (i.e., internalizing, and externalizing problems, self-control, emotion dysregulation, and alexithymia) relevant for Smartphone Addiction and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), conceptualized as emotion-regulation strategies, also assessing age and gender differences. Based on power analysis, N = 78 Italian adolescents (11-19 years; M_age = 14.24; SD = 1.56; 73.1% females) were considered. Step-wise multivariate linear regressions evidence a mutual association between NSSI and Smartphone Addiction, particularly relevant in pre-adolescence. Low self-control is significantly associated with the Smartphone Addiction, while emotion dysregulation and alexithymia with NSSI. This study supports NSSI and Smartphone Addiction conceptualization as emotion-regulation strategies and the importance of prevention interventions.

Keywords: Adolescence; Age differences; Emotion regulation; Gender differences; Non-suicidal Self-Injury; Smartphone Addiction.