Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined academic anxiety and problematic smartphone use among undergraduate students, with particular attention to gender and academic discipline differences. Data were collected through an online survey involving 964 undergraduate students from Jiangsu Province, China. Participants completed the Academic Anxiety Scale and the Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and linear regression. The findings revealed no significant gender differences in academic anxiety. However, academic anxiety was significantly higher among students in natural sciences than among those in humanities and social sciences. Problematic smartphone use did not differ significantly by gender or academic discipline. Furthermore, academic anxiety demonstrated a strong, significant positive correlation with problematic smartphone use (r = .691, p < .001). Regression analysis indicated that academic anxiety was a significant positive predictor of problematic smartphone use (B = 1.093, SE = 0.037, β = .694, p < .001). These findings highlight the close association between academic anxiety and problematic smartphone use among undergraduate students and suggest the importance of addressing academic anxiety in student well-being initiatives. Although the results provide useful directions for future longitudinal research and intervention development, causal relationships cannot be established due to the cross-sectional nature of the study.