Smartphones as attachment targets: an attachment theory framework for understanding problematic smartphone use

Given recent concerns around the conceptualization of problematic smartphone use within a medical-addiction model, the objective of this work is to examine an alternative, adaptive, framework in which to conceptualize young adults' experiences of problematic smartphone use. Specifically, this work employed an attachment theory lens to understanding young adults' experiences of problematic smartphone use through examining the relationship between their attachment dimensions (i.e., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance), their experiences of problematic smartphone use, and their use of their smartphone as an attachment target. Online questionnaires were administered to 403 participants (ages 18-25). Hierarchical Linear Regression and mediation analysis were used to examine the relationship between young adults' attachment dimensions, problematic smartphone use, and their use of their smartphone as an attachment target. Findings indicate that young adults higher in attachment anxiety (but not in attachment avoidance) experience more problematic smartphone use, and that this relationship is accounted for by their use of their smartphone as an attachment target. Results from this work support the use of an attachment theory framework for understanding what has typically been conceptualized as a behavioural addiction to smartphones.