Phone Unlocks and Anxiety: A Digital Phenotyping Approach – Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/vwh7pe05Cuvinte cheie:
Digital Phenotyping, Smartphone use, Smartphone unlocking, Screen time, Anxiety, Depression, Digital BiomarkersRezumat
Background:
This study explores the relationship between smartphone usage behavior and mental health scores among MBBS students, utilizing a digital phenotyping framework.
Objective:
To examine the association between smartphone usage behavior and mental health symptoms among MBBS students using a digital phenotyping approach
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 93 MBBS students. Data were obtained using validated self-report instruments — GAD-7, PHQ-9, and PHQ-15 — along with active retrieval of stored 14-day unlock history from participants' devices, assisted by the research team. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed to examine associations between digital behavior and mental health indices.
Results:
Participants (77 male, 16 female; mean age 21.0 ± 2.1 years) recorded an average of 2000 ± 600 total unlocks in 14 days. A significant positive correlation was observed between Total Unlocks and GAD-7 scores (r = 0.55, p < 0.001), indicating that higher unlocking frequency is linked to increased anxiety symptoms. A weaker yet notable correlation was found between Total Unlocks and PHQ-9 scores (r = 0.35, p = 0.004), suggesting a modest association between smartphone use and depressive symptoms. The relationship between Total Unlocks and PHQ-15 scores (r = 0.31, p = 0.08) was not statistically significant.
Conclusion:
These findings reaffirm that digital interaction metrics, particularly unlock frequency, may serve as potential behavioral indicators of psychological distress. However, the weaker association with PHQ-9 underscores that depressive symptoms may manifest less consistently in digital behavior compared to anxiety, and may require follow-up or longitudinal assessment to ascertain the pattern.
Recommendation:
Future research utilizing prospective multi-center designs with expanded cohorts is essential to corroborate device unlock tracking as a valid digital biomarker for anxiety symptoms, while evaluating its predictive performance, practical implementation in clinical workflows, and associated ethical considerations.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Dev Rai, Sumit Jethani, Lokesh Parashar, Himanshu Khangwal, Dr. Anshumali Gupta, Dr. Pankaj Kumar Verma
TAceastă lucrare este licențiată în temeiul Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
