Digital Disadvantage Outside the Classroom: Comparative Profiles of Problematic Smartphone Use, Stress, and Psychopathology in Out-of-School Youth

초록

This study compared problematic smartphone use (PSU) and psychosocial risks between out-of-school youth (OSY) and in-school adolescents. A cross-sectional survey of 1485 Korean adolescents (including 198 OSY) assessed PSU, perceived stress, and mental health symptoms in a Korean urban community. Participants completed measures of smartphone overdependence (K-SAS), perceived stress (PSS-10), substance use and drug-related awareness, emotion regulation, and Mind EASY mental health screening. Results indicated that OSY had a higher PSU prevalence (43.9% vs. 35.3%) and were disproportionately represented in the high-risk PSU category. OSY also exhibited polarized stress profiles and substantially higher rates of broad mental health vulnerability (25.8% vs. 6.0%). Multivariable regression identified high perceived stress, school adaptation difficulties, externalizing problems, and smoking as key correlates of smartphone overdependence. These findings highlight OSY as a distinct high-risk group facing cumulative digital and psychological disadvantages, suggesting an urgent need for integrated community interventions addressing stress, adaptation, and behavioral health. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2026.

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