Relationship between smartphone use and anxiety levels in first-year university students of the physical activity and sports sciences program at the adventist university of bolivia

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71112/4megdv89

Keywords:

Smartphone addiction, state-trait anxiety, university students, mental health, Bolivia

Abstract

Problematic smartphone use constitutes an emerging issue among university students, associated with indicators of psychological distress, particularly anxiety. The objective was to determine the relationship between smartphone use and anxiety levels in 73 first-year students of the Physical Activity and Sports Sciences program at the Universidad Adventista de Bolivia, using a non-experimental cross-sectional correlational design with the SAS and IDARE instruments.

Results revealed significant positive correlations between problematic smartphone use and trait anxiety (r = .411, p < .001) and state anxiety (ρ = .303, p = .009), with the Cyberspace-Oriented Relationship dimension showing the strongest association (r = .383). It is concluded that stable dispositional anxiety predisposes individuals more strongly to problematic smartphone use than transient situational anxiety, with clinical implications for interventions in the Bolivian university context.

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Published

2026-04-14

Issue

Section

Health Sciences

How to Cite

Ustariz Ortiz, B. L., & Guarachi Ramosa, R. (2026). Relationship between smartphone use and anxiety levels in first-year university students of the physical activity and sports sciences program at the adventist university of bolivia. Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences, 3(2), 447-469. https://doi.org/10.71112/4megdv89