Name: Abby Bradley
Area of Study: Developmental
In what program are you currently enrolled? MA
What year of the program are you currently in? 2
Citation in APA format:
Bradley, A. H. M., & Howard, A. L. (2023). Stress and mood associations with smartphone use in university students: A 12-week longitudinal study. Clinical Psychological Science, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/21677026221116889
Plain language abstract:
The current study used device-logged screen-time records to measure week-to-week within-person associations between stress and smartphone use in undergraduate students (N = 187; mean age = 20.1 years). The study was conducted during fall 2020 and focused on differences across types of app used and whether accumulated screen use each week predicted end-of-week mood states. Participants uploaded weekly screenshots from their iPhone “Screen Time” settings display and completed surveys measuring stress, mood, and COVID-19 experiences. Results of multilevel models showed no week-to-week change in smartphone hours of use or device pickups. Higher stress levels were not concurrently associated with heavier smartphone use, either overall or by type of app. Heavier smartphone use in a given week did not predict end-of-week mood states, but students who tended to spend more time on their phones in general reported slightly worse moods—a between-persons effect potentially reflecting deficits in well-being that are present in students’ off-line lives as well. Our findings contribute to a growing scholarly consensus that time spent on smartphones tells us little about young people’s well-being.
How did the idea for this research come about?
In the summer of 2021, I was accepted by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences to complete a summer research internship. This internship provided me with the chance to analyze and explore data that I assisted in collecting while simultaneously conducting my undergraduate thesis, supervised by Dr. Andrea Howard, examining cannabis use and stress in undergraduate students. In the Fall of 2020, I supported Dr. Howard in the collection of smartphone screen use data. The initial plan was to test the feasibility of getting participants to reliably upload screenshots from their personal smartphones within a larger Qualtrics survey study. Dr. Howard had no immediate plan for working with this data, however after realizing the potential and optimistic adherence rate that was received, I suggested seizing the opportunity to work on it during my internship.
How did you collect the data for this project?
During my undergraduate thesis, data were drawn from a 12-week longitudinal study conducted during the Fall 2020 semester of university. Participants were eligible to participate if they were undergraduate students under 30 years of age and used a smartphone equipped with an iOS operating system (i.e., an iPhone). Participants were recruited from the SONA system at Carleton University, and from Prolific.co. Participants completed a baseline survey and those interested in our weekly follow-up study were invited to complete 5-minute surveys each week, released on Sunday afternoons and completed by Tuesday morning. Weekly surveys consisted of questions pertaining to academics, social activities, substance use (i.e., alcohol and cannabis) and COVID-19. Participants were also prompted each week to navigate to their device’s “Screen Time” summary and take screenshots of relevant information to upload as part of their survey response. This screen-time data provided real-time information about the time spent using their device, the apps most used and the amount of time spent using them, number of times the device was picked up and which apps were first used after the initial pickup. Myself and volunteers then extracted data from the screen time screenshots.
Was the journal you published in the first journal you submitted this paper to?
Yes.
Why did you choose this journal?
Clinical Psychological Science publishes advances in clinical science and provides a venue for cutting-edge research across a wide range of conceptual views, approaches, and topics; including the promotion of well-being (Clinical Psychological Science, 2023). Our study used rather innovative methodology which had the potential to contribute to advances within the technology and well-being domain.
How many other journals did you submit this paper to before it landed in the journal that eventually published your work?
0
What was your revision experience?
The revision process was more intense than I had expected, but overall the experience was straightforward and beneficial for learning more about the publication process. We had three reviewers review our paper; two with relatively minor questions and suggestions, but the third reviewer attached a 7-page word document with their suggestions (so that was somewhat intimidating). However, the reviewers’ comments, questions and suggestions improved our paper and I am both grateful and humbled by the experience.
How many rounds of revision did you experience?
2
Did you need to collect new data to satisfy a reviewer?
No.
How long did it take from first submission to acceptance?
7 months
Was this paper conducted as part of your MA thesis?
No.
How did this project come about?
As mentioned above, this project came about after my acceptance to the FASS summer research internship. The data was collected during my undergraduate thesis (Fall 2020).
Was this research conducted with your supervisor?
Yes, this research was conducted with my thesis supervisor, Dr. Andrea Howard.
Was this research conducted with fellow graduate students in our program?
No.
Was this research conducted with researchers external to Carleton?
No.
You can access the article here.