Smartphone Use Dependency and Psychosocial Well-Being among Students in Selected Universities in Kiambu County, Kenya

Smartphone use dependency has been found to affect the well-being of university students. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between smartphone use dependency and psychosocial well-being among university students in selected universities in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study employed correlational research design. The study was grounded on technological acceptance model and human ecology theories. The study population comprised 1,350 students, from which a sample size of 303 participants was derived using the Krejcie and Morgan formula. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select a sample size of 303 participants. The data was collected using smartphone use scale and psychosocial well-being scale. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis with SPSS Version 26. The findings revealed that there was a negative relationship (r = -.511, p = .000 ≤ 0.05) between smartphone use and psychosocial well-being among students in selected universities in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study recommends that university administration need to offer workshops and seminars to educate students on smartphone use effect on mental health challenges, coping mechanisms, and available relevant services. Also, the study recommends an environment to be created in which the students feel free to communicate their concerns and difficulties. This can be accomplished through peer support groups or mentoring programs that improve the overall students well-being. University students may need to be encouraged to spend some quality time with their friends and family rather than spending several hours on smartphone screens. Finally, efforts need to be made to encourage face-to-face encounters in the study groups rather than depending primarily on digital communication via the smartphone.

Smartphone Use, psychosocial well-being, University students, Kiambu, Kenya

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