واکاوی عوامل روانی مؤثر بر وابستگی هیجانی به تلفن همراه در نوجوانان

سحر هدایتی; نوید نیازی

doi:10.61838/878945

Authors

Sahar Hedayati Department of Cognitive Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran Author
Navid Niazi Department of Educational Psychology, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61838/878945

Keywords:

emotional dependence, mobile phone, adolescents, problematic smartphone use, thematic analysis, emotion regulation

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the psychological factors influencing emotional dependence on mobile phones among adolescents in Tehran. This qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis. The participants were 18 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years living in Tehran, selected through purposive sampling based on their lived experience of frequent, emotionally driven, and difficult-to-control mobile phone use. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews lasting between 45 and 75 minutes. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached; no new theme emerged after the sixteenth interview, and two additional interviews were conducted to confirm saturation. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis approach with the assistance of NVivo software. Credibility and trustworthiness were enhanced through member checking, peer review, analytic memo writing, constant comparison of codes, and maintaining an audit trail. Data analysis resulted in four main themes: “emotion regulation through constant mobile phone presence,” “fear of missing out, rejection, and relational disconnection,” “identity dependence on digital feedback,” and “weak cognitive control and compulsive habits.” The findings indicated that, for many adolescents, the mobile phone was not merely a communication device but functioned as an immediate emotional regulator, a psychological refuge, a source of social validation, and a mechanism for escaping anxiety, loneliness, boredom, academic pressure, and family tension. Adolescents’ emotional dependence on mobile phones is a multidimensional phenomenon shaped by the interaction of emotional needs, relational fears, cognitive vulnerabilities, and insufficient emotion regulation capacities. Effective interventions should therefore move beyond screen-time restriction and focus on emotion regulation training, strengthening offline self-worth, improving family communication, and enhancing self-control skills.

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