Social anxiety and social skills via problematic smartphone use for predicting somatic symptoms and academic performance at primary school

摘要

Mobile phones have become an indispensable tool in different areas of life, however this often results in some negative effects, especially among their youngest users. The aim of the present study is to analyze the relationship between social anxiety and social skills via problematic smartphone use (PSU) for predicting somatic symptoms and academic performance. A total of N = 427 primary school students aged from 10 to 14 participated in the study and the following tools were used: the Smartphone Addiction Scale, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents, the Children's Self-Report Social Skills Scale, the Children's Somatization Inventory, and reported grade point average (GPA). The study showed that girls use smartphone applications such as talking, text messages, social networking, camera and organizer more often than boys. Our results showed a positive relationship between social skills and GPA, whereas PSU was negatively associated with GPA. Additionally, there was a positive relationship between social anxiety: avoidance and somatization. Social anxiety: fear was positively associated with GPA, whereas social anxiety: avoidance was negatively associated with GPA. In girls group there was a partial mediation between social skills and GPA via PSU, whereas in boys group there was a partial mediation between social skills and somatization via PSU.