Abstract
Smartphones play a crucial role in students' daily routines, influencing social interactions and academic engagement. This study explores the relation between attachment styles, secure, avoidant, anxious, and disorganized and smartphone addiction among students at UiTM Puncak Alam’s Faculty of Business and Management. Based on information from 256 respondents, findings reveal that all attachment styles significantly correlate with smartphone addiction, with avoidant attachment displaying the strongest relationship (r = .701), followed by disorganized (r = .554), anxious (r = .534), and secure attachment (r = .476). Regression analysis identifies avoidant attachment as the primary predictor, suggesting that individuals with avoidant tendencies rely heavily on smartphones to distance themselves from real-world interactions. Anxious attachment also contributes, reflecting excessive smartphone use driven by a need for social reassurance. In contrast, secure and disorganized attachments show minimal predictive impact. These results indicate that smartphone addiction is not merely a behavioral habit but is deeply rooted in psychological and emotional factors. Students with avoidant and anxious attachments may depend on smartphones for validation or coping, reinforcing problematic usage patterns. To address this issue, universities should implement structured interventions such as digital wellness programs, attachment-based counselling, and social engagement initiatives that encourage healthy offline interactions. Encouraging face-to-face communication and setting boundaries for smartphone usage can help mitigate addiction risks. Future studies should investigate the longterm academic and psychological effects of smartphone dependency, offering broader insights into the consequences of attachment-driven smartphone addiction in university settings.
Keywords
- Attachment Styles Search this journal for Attachment Styles (opens in a new tab)
- Attachment Theory Search this journal for Attachment Theory (opens in a new tab)
- Attachment Search this journal for Attachment (opens in a new tab)
- Smartphone Addiction Search this journal for Smartphone Addiction (opens in a new tab)
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Ab Latiff, D. S., Ali Husin, L. I., Mat Hussin, N. Z. M. H., Said, N. A., Mohamed Razali, M. Z., & Yao, G. (2025). Attachment Theory and Smartphone Addiction Among University Students: Investigating Psychological Dependence, Behavioral Patterns and Well-Being. Information Management and Business Review, 17(2(I)S), 582-593. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v17i2(I)S.4612
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dilla Syadia Ab Latiff, Liatul Izian Ali Husin, Nor Zaihan Mat Hasan Mat Hussin, Noor Azzah Said, Murni Zarina Mohamed Razali, Geng Yao (Author)
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Keywords
- Attachment Styles Search this journal for Attachment Styles (opens in a new tab)
- Attachment Theory Search this journal for Attachment Theory (opens in a new tab)
- Attachment Search this journal for Attachment (opens in a new tab)
- Smartphone Addiction Search this journal for Smartphone Addiction (opens in a new tab)
Section
Research Paper
Published in
Vol. 17 No. 2(I)S (2025)
AI in Audit, Workplace Safety & Digital Consumer Society
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Published
2025-08-10
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