the role of self-esteem and social anxiety in predicting problematic smartphone use in school students

Aim: the present research aimed to investigate the role of self-esteem and social anxiety in predicting problematic smartphone use (psu) in middle school and high school students.methods: this research was of descriptive-correlational type. the research statistical population included all male and female secondary school students in the city of kazerun in the academic year 2022-2023. the research sample consisted of 333 students selected and assessed using a cluster sampling method. the cell-phone over-use scale (cos), the social anxiety questionnaire (saq), and the self-esteem scale (ses) were used to measure the research variables. research data were analyzed by pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression methods.results: the research results indicated that self-esteem and social anxiety symptoms were correlated with psu (p>0.05). on the other hand, the multiple regression analysis results demonstrated that 55% of psu was explained by self-esteem and social anxiety. moreover, according to the data analysis results, self-esteem was negatively and inversely related to psu in such a way that by decreasing the self-esteem score, the amount of psu increased.conclusion: these findings denote that self-esteem and social anxiety play a substantial role in predicting psu in students. given that psu is a serious problem that profoundly affects mental health, it is suggested that early intervention is essential in order to strengthen self-esteem and relieve social anxiety. aim: the present research aimed to investigate the role of self-esteem and social anxiety in predicting problematic smartphone use (psu) in middle school and high school students.methods: this research was of descriptive-correlational type. the research statistical population included all male and female secondary school students in the city of kazerun in the academic year 2022-2023. the research sample consisted of 333 students selected and assessed using a cluster sampling method. the cell-phone over-use scale (cos), the social anxiety questionnaire (saq), and the self-esteem scale (ses) were used to measure the research variables. research data were analyzed by pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression methods.results: the research results indicated that self-esteem and social anxiety symptoms were correlated with psu (p>0.05). on the other hand, the multiple regression analysis results demonstrated that 55% of psu was explained by self-esteem and social anxiety. moreover, according to the data analysis results, self-esteem was negatively and inversely related to psu in such a way that by decreasing the self-esteem score, the amount of psu increased.conclusion: these findings denote that self-esteem and social anxiety play a substantial role in predicting psu in students. given that psu is a serious problem that profoundly affects mental health, it is suggested that early intervention is essential in order to strengthen self-esteem and relieve social anxiety.