Prediction of Symptoms of Psychosomatic Disorders in University Students Based on Perfectionism Mediated by Smartphone Addiction

Among the main consequences of smartphone addiction are negative psychological effects, physical conditions, and psychosomatic disorders. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between perfectionism and symptoms of psychosomatic disorders mediated by smartphone addiction in university students. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed on students of the Islamic Azad University- Ahvaz Branch in the academic year 2020-2021. A total of 254 students were selected through convenience sampling. The data were collected using DSM-5 Somatic Syndrome Disorder Scale, Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), and Ahvaz Perfectionism Scale (APS). The evaluation of the proposed research model was performed using SEM in SPSS version 23 and trough AMOS module. Results: There was a direct relationship between perfectionism and smartphone addiction (β=0.30, P=0.001) and also a significant direct relationship between smartphone addiction and symptoms of psychosomatic disorders in the university students; smartphone addiction to health concerns: (β=0.28, P=0.001), smartphone addiction to disease experience (β=0.23, P=0.001), smartphone addiction to the difficulty of interacting with physicians (β=0.24, P=0.001), and smartphone addiction to disease consequences (β=0.27, P=0.001). The association of perfectionism to symptoms of psychosomatic disorders was partly mediated by smartphone addiction (P=0.001). Conclusion: According to the results, the proposed model had a good fit. Training the youth for optimal usage of smartphones can reduce the effects of perfectionism on symptoms of psychosomatic disorders.