Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to examine the efficacy of a cognitive defusion intervention for undergraduate students at risk for smartphone addiction. Thirty-eight undergraduate students who, based on the Smartphone Addiction Scale, had a total score of at least 40, or had an impairment of daily living subscale score of at least 14 were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) the cognitive defusion intervention condition (n=19) or (2) the psychological education condition (n=19). Both the conditions consisted of four weekly 70- to 80-minute sessions and included education about the causes of smartphone overuse. The cognitive defusion intervention group showed significantly greater reductions in smartphone overuse, depressive symptoms, and psychological inflexibility. In addition, the cognitive defusion intervention group showed a significant reduction in functional impairment. However, changes in mental well-being and decentering were not significantly different between the two conditions. In conclusion, these results suggest that the cognitive defusion intervention is efficacious for relieving smartphone overuse, depressive symptoms, functional impairment, and psychological inflexibility of undergraduate students at risk for smartphone addiction. Lastly, the implications and limitations of this study are discussed.