Date of Award

8-1-2024

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Psychology

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

John P. Forsyth

Committee Members

James F. Boswell, Julia M. Hormes

Keywords

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Problematic Smartphone Use, Psychological Inflexibility, Values Clarification

Subject Categories

Clinical Psychology

Abstract

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is a growing problem in need of effective interventions. The psychological inflexibility (PI) model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) provides a transdiagnostic framework through which PSU can be conceptualized and intervention processes identified. One sub-process of the PI model – values clarity – is theoretically important in maintaining and ameliorating addictive behaviors like PSU. The present study tested the acute impact of values clarification on PSU behavior. Undergraduates (N = 130; 50% female) who self-identified as having problems with their smartphone use and valued helping children in need were randomized into one of three conditions and completed a novel, laboratory-based behavioral task (i.e., the Time Away from Phone Task, or TAP Task). The task invited participants to sit silently, with no environmental stimulation, for as long as they could before using their phones. A “Meals” condition was given values-based incentives to wait longer before using their phone in this task. Thus, waiting to use their phone was a values-based action, and using their phone was a values-interfering behavior. A “Swamp” condition was given the same valued incentives, and they were walked through a values-based metaphor and a values clarification exercise designed to increase the salience of their values underlying the task. Lastly, a “Control” condition was given no reason to wait before using their phone during the task. Results showed that values-based incentives alone (Meals) produced greater verbal commitment to not engage in PSU behavior compared with controls. However, only those in the “Swamp” condition demonstrated significantly lower levels of actual PSU behavior during the TAP Task relative to controls. This effect was independent of psychological distress. Findings support values clarification as an evidence-based process in maintaining and ameliorating PSU.

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