The interplay between stress, smartphone addiction, and food addiction in adolescents: a cross-sectional study

This cross-sectional study examined the impact of stress and smartphone addiction on eating addiction in adolescents (N = 500). Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Personal Information Form, Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ-S), Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short Version (SAS-SV), and Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0 (YFAS-C 2.0). Regression analysis revealed that both YFAS-C 2.0 and ASQ-S scores were significant predictors of smartphone addiction (p < 0.05). The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the risk of smartphone addiction were 1.057 (95% CI: 1.037-1.078) for YFAS-C 2.0 and 1.031 (95% CI: 1.018-1.044) for ASQ-S (p < 0.001). These findings underscore the need for increased awareness among adolescents regarding stress management, responsible smartphone use, and healthy eating behaviors as part of behavioral addiction prevention strategies.