Publication Type
Master Thesis
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
6-2026
Abstract
Smartphones have become deeply embedded in daily life, serving not only utilitarian functions such as communication and productivity, but also entertainment and leisure. While smartphones offer convenience and constant connectivity, excessive use has been associated with adverse emotional, behavioural, and cognitive outcomes. However, findings on smartphone use and psychological functioning remain mixed, partly due to limitations in how smartphone use is conceptualised and measured. To address this limitation, the present study adopted a person-centred approach using objective smartphone screen time data from 562 undergraduate students. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified two distinct patterns of smartphone engagement: a low-engagement and a high-engagement profile. These profiles were subsequently compared across emotional, behavioural, and cognitive outcomes. Relative to low-engagement profile, individuals in the high-engagement profile reported lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, higher levels of positive affect, less dysfunctional coping, and greater self-control capacity. However, no significant profile differences emerged for procrastination, impulsivity, problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, mixed coping, or cognitive failure. These findings suggest that distinct patterns of smartphone engagement may provide a more nuanced understanding of psychological and behavioural functioning than overall screen time alone. Future research should extend this work by examining the context and purpose of smartphone use and incorporating additional application categories.
Keywords
Smartphone screen time, smartphone applications, latent profile analysis
Degree Awarded
Master of Philosophy in Psychology
Discipline
Databases and Information Systems | Psychology
Supervisor(s)
HARTANTO, Andree
First Page
1
Last Page
58
Publisher
Singapore Management University
City or Country
Singapore
Citation
KOH, Paye Shin.
Uncovering digital usage patterns: A latent profile analysis of smartphone screen time and its association with key domains of functioning. (2026). 1-58.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/etd_coll/928
Copyright Owner and License
Author
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.