Effect of a mindfulness-integrated positive psychology course on digital detox and smartphone addiction in nursing students

A positive psychology course that included drawing-breathing meditation boosted mindfulness and digital detoxification and reduced smartphone addiction among nursing students at Shandong Xiehe University, China. In a quasi-experimental design with 33 students in each group, the experimental group showed significant improvements on measures of mindfulness, smartphone addiction, and digital detoxification over three time points, while the control group showed no changes. The findings suggest that combining mindfulness meditation with positive psychology instruction can help address technology-related behavioral issues in university students.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: Positive psychology helps individuals enhance their attention, self-awareness, and positive thinking. Recent research has explored the impact of mindfulness—one of the core techniques in positive psychology—on behavioral addictions such as smartphone overuse. However, the effects of positive psychology courses that integrate mindfulness meditation, particularly in promoting digital detoxification and reducing smartphone addiction, have not been sufficiently studied. Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a positive psychology course incorporating drawing-breathing meditation in promoting digital detoxification and reducing smartphone addiction among nursing students at Shandong Xiehe University, China. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was employed, consisting of a pre-test, post-test, and control group. Two classes were allocated as experimental and control groups without individual randomization to an experimental group (n = 33) and a control group (n = 33). Participants completed the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), and the Digital Detoxification Scale (DDS) at three intervals: before, during, and after the intervention. Results: The findings demonstrated that the integrated positive psychology course significantly enhanced mindfulness and digital detoxification while reducing smartphone addiction in the experimental group. No significant changes were observed in the control group across any of the measured variables. Conclusion: A positive psychology course integrated with drawing and breathing meditation was associated with improvements in digital mindfulness indicators and a reduction in smartphone addiction within the study sample. These findings can inform the design of future interventions that combine mindfulness and positive psychology to address technology-related behavioral issues among university students.