Smartphone addiction and procrastination behavior: Mediating roles of stress and anxiety

Abstract

Within the framework of Self-Regulation Theory (SRT), smartphone addiction (SPA) is considered a self-regulation failure, as it disrupts focus and task completion, leading to increased procrastination. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship remain insufficiently explored. Given the distinct impacts of stress and anxiety on psychological and physiological processes, this study examines their mediating roles in the SPA-procrastination relationship. A total of 688 Turkish participants completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and General Procrastination Scale. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between SPA and stress, anxiety, and procrastination. Mediation analyses were performed with age and gender as covariates. The results indicate that stress significantly mediates the relationship between SPA and procrastination, whereas anxiety does not. Moreover, the relatively small indirect effect of stress suggests that the SPA-procrastination relationship may be explained not by a single mechanism but by contributions from multiple psychological processes. The study outlines a framework for understanding SPA through SRT, suggesting that interventions focused on stress management, attentional control, and time management may help reduce procrastination. Furthermore, the findings suggest that future research could benefit from employing multilevel models that account for the interactions among different psychological processes.