A study on the mediating effects of experiential avoidance on the relationship between anxious attachment and smartphone addiction

Smartphone is a necessity for modern people because of performing various functions. However, the number of smartphone users are faced with physical, psychological, and social problems due to excessive use. In this study, we were interested in lowering the addiction of smartphone related to anxious attachment. The aim of this study is to clarify the mediating effects of experiential avoidance on the relationship between anxious attachment and smartphone addiction of undergraduate students.

For this purpose, a questionnaire survey (Insecure Attachment Scale, Experiential Avoidance Scale, and Smartphone Addiction Scale) was conducted targeting undergraduate students in Busan. The total respondents were 319. A three-step regression analysis was conducted by SPSS 23.0. The effectiveness of the analysis results on the mediating effects were verified by the Sobel test.

The results are summarized as follows; (i) there was a significant positive correlation anxious attachment and experiential avoidance and smartphone addiction. (ii) experiential avoidance was partially mediated between anxious attachment and smartphone addiction. The results of this study contribute to the determination of specific behaviors attributed to smartphone addiction by verifying the role of experiential avoidance on anxious attachment.

The counselor needs to explore the client’s attachment type when counseling clients who overuse smartphones. The counselor expects to reduce smartphone addiction by helping them experience a secure relationship as to eliminate the client’s fear of being abandoned by others. And it suggests that smartphone addiction counseling should explore the dysfunctional aspect of experiential avoidance and change. It means that assisting the client to fully experience his or her internal experience will have an effect on the results of counseling.