ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to examine the mediating effect of depression on the relationship between behavior inhibition system (BIS) and smart-phone addiction (SA) in Korea. METHODS: An online survey was conducted including 5003 adult participants. Except for people without a smartphone, participants consisted of 2573 men and 2281 women, including a 20s group, 1611, 30s group, 2133, and 40s group, 1110. For evaluation of psychiatric symptoms and personal characteristics, participants were asked to complete self-reports, including BIS scale, depression scale of SCL-90-R (Dep), and SA scale. RESULTS: The BIS predicted both variance of depression and SA (BIS→Dep : β=0.374, p<0.001 ; BIS→SA : β=0.268, p<0.001), and depression predicted SA (β=0.386, p<0.001). The result of hierarchial regression analysis showed that depression mediated the relationship between behavior inhibition system and SA. Thus the effects between behavior inhibition system and smartphone decreased (β=0.268→0.144). CONCLUSION: Depression mediates the influence of behavior inhibition system on SA. This result indicates that biological traits and negative emotions, such as depression, have an important influence on behavioral addiction.