Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41750043›Full record

ArticleBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Mobile Phone Craving in Spain: Associations with Impulsivity, Anxiety, Gaming Problem, and Gambling Severity.

Jose de-Sola, Joan I Mestre-Pintó, Víctor José Villanueva-Blasco, Hernán Talledo, Antonia Serrano, Gabriel Rubio, Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jose de-SolaGrupo de Neuropsicofarmacología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina-IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, Unidades Clínicas de Neurología y Psiquiatría, 29590 Málaga, Spain.
Joan I Mestre-PintóAddiction Research Group (GRAd), Neuroscience Research Program, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-0387-9375
Víctor José Villanueva-BlascoFaculty of Health Sciences, Valencian International University, Pintor Sorolla 21, 46002 Valencia, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-6081-1583
Hernán TalledoDepartment of Marketing and Communication, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima 150140, Peru.
Antonia SerranoGrupo de Neuropsicofarmacología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina-IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, Unidades Clínicas de Neurología y Psiquiatría, 29590 Málaga, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-8017-9754
Gabriel RubioDepartamento de Psiquiatria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Instituto de Investigación i+12, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre de Madrid, 28041 Madrid, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-1171-1508
Fernando Rodríguez de FonsecaGrupo de Neuropsicofarmacología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina-IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND, Unidades Clínicas de Neurología y Psiquiatría, 29590 Málaga, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-4516-5795

Funding

Dirección General de Juego Subvenciones para la realización de estudios de investigación sobre los trastornos derivados de la actividad de juego, grant number SUBV23/00030 (to FRF)Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RD24/0003/0001 (JM, VJV), RD24/0003/0009 (GR) and RD24/0003/0012(FRF)); ISCIII-FORTALECE (FORT23/00013) to AS
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Craving for mobile phone use is increasingly discussed as a relevant feature of problematic engagement with digital technologies. This population-based study of 1601 Spanish adults examined psychological factors (impulsivity traits and affective symptoms) and behavioral correlates linked to mobile phone craving. Primary outcome: Mobile phone craving scale (MPACS). Secondary analyses: Associations between craving and impulsivity, anxiety, depression, Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), gambling severity, and alcohol use. Craving measured with the MPACS was most common among younger participants (16-35 years old) and strongly related to greater daily phone use, heightened impulsivity, especially urgency and sensation seeking, and higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Among individuals who use their phones for gaming or gambling (n = 463), craving was strongly associated with IGD and gambling severity, suggesting that mobile phones may amplify involvement in these behaviors. Exploratory factor analyses consistently revealed four underlying dimensions-Reactive Impulsivity, Cognitive Impulsivity, Negative Emotions, and Addictive Behaviors-each contributing differently depending on craving intensity. Logistic regression analyses showed that anxiety, impulsivity, phone-use duration, and IGD scores independently predicted high craving levels. Overall, the findings highlight mobile phone craving as a clinically meaningful, multidimensional construct tied to emotional dysregulation and behavioral addiction. Assessing craving may help identify individuals at heightened risk for problematic technology use and related psychological difficulties.

Indexed as

anxietycravingdependencegamblingimpulsivitymobile phoneMobile Phone Addiction Craving Scale (MPACS)prevalenceproblematic usevideogaming

Identifiers

PMID41750043
PMCPMC12938027

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.