Table 1.
Summary statistics of variables.
| Variables | Description | Mean | Standard deviation | Min/Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome variables | ||||
| Anxiety (A) | Validated instrument† addressing various symptoms of anxiety, calculated as the sum of 17 Likert-scored questions (0–3 points). Higher score indicates more symptoms of anxiety | 13.38 | 7.97 | 0/48 |
| Grit Score (G) | Validated instrument‡ which captures elements of passion and persistence in life, calculated as the sum of ten, 5-point Likert scale items, divided by 5; Higher score indicates more Grit | 3.26 | 0.49 | 1.8/5 |
| Explanatory variables | ||||
| Key Explanatory Variables | ||||
| Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PMPU) | Validated instrument§ addressing indicators of addictive tendencies toward mobile phone use, calculated as the sum of 27 5-point Likert scale items, where a higher score indicates more problematic usage | 86.65 | 21.07 | 27/135 |
| Bullying (B) | Sum of three binary indicators related to bullying pressures | 0.361 | 0.713 | 0/3 |
| Physically Hurt Prior Year | 0.138 | – | 0/1 | |
| Bullied at School | 0.107 | – | 0/1 | |
| Bullied Outside School | 0.116 | – | 0/1 | |
| Socio-Cultural Environmental Pressures Controlled For | ||||
| Academic Pressures (AP*) | Latent construct measured by four, 5-point Likert questions detailing pressures from the school environment (1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree) | |||
| Worry About Exam Scores | 4.01 | 1.30 | 1/5 | |
| Teachers Too Controlling | 3.67 | 1.39 | 1/5 | |
| School Competitive | 3.85 | 1.29 | 1/5 | |
| School Success is Life Success | 4.12 | 1.28 | 1/5 | |
| Family Environment (FE*) | Latent construct measured by four, 5-point Likert questions detailing violence and control in the home (1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree) | |||
| Parents Check Phone | 3.17 | 1.62 | 1/5 | |
| Physically Hurt in Home | 2.54 | 1.57 | 1/5 | |
| Punished for Bad Grades | 2.64 | 1.62 | 1/5 | |
| Women Tolerate Violence | 2.62 | 1.63 | 1/5 | |
| Social Support (SS*) | Latent construct measured by six binary indicators for having someone or somewhere to go to deal with a series of financial or social issues | |||
| Borrow Money | 0.73 | – | 0/1 | |
| Stay With | 0.70 | – | 0/1 | |
| Confide in About Violence | 0.64 | – | 0/1 | |
| Help with Harassment Situation | 0.64 | – | 0/1 | |
| Place Meet Same Sex Friends | 0.44 | – | 0/1 | |
| Member of Club/Youth Group | 0.41 | |||
| Instruments (For PMPU) | ||||
| Phone Cost (PC) | Cost of mobile phone in Nepali Rupees divided by 1,000. | 19.35 | 16.43 | 0.2/110 |
| Phone Cost Sq. (PC2) | Phone Cost squared | 643.62 | 1469.37 | 0.04/12100 |
| Friend's PMPU (FPMPU) | Reworking of validated instrument3 addressing indicators of closest friend's addictive tendencies toward mobile phone use, calculated as the sum of six 5-point Likert scale items, where a higher score indicates more problematic usage | 20.09 | 5.62 | 6/30 |
| Additional controls | ||||
| Age (X1) | Age of adolescent in years | 17.6 | 1.18 | 15/25 |
| Female (X2) | =1 if adolescent is female, 0 otherwise | 0.51 | – | 0/1 |
| Rural (X3) | =1 if adolescent is from a rural high-school, 0 otherwise | 0.48 | – | 0/1 |