Gender-specific manifestations of phubbing in cadets of higher education institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia

Abstract

Introduction. Smartphones have changed the way people interact with each other in modern society. However, while they are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in human life, there is growing concern that they are often used at inappropriate times during social interactions. The article presents the results of a study of the phenomenon of «phubbing» as a dismissive attitude towards someone in a social environment, when the partner focuses on their mobile phone. Phubbing also significantly reduces the perceived quality of communication and satisfaction with relationships in a dyadic conversation. The article examines an attractive, although still limited, field of research that studies the phenomenon of phubbing in educational organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The purpose of the study was to determine the gender characteristics of the manifestation of phubbing in cadets of educational institutions of higher education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Methodology, methods and techniques. A complex of empirical and mathematicalstatistical methods was used to analyze the manifestation of phubbing. Empirical data were obtained using the following methods: Phubbing Scale, consisting of 10 questions (Phubbing Scale, E. Karadağ, et al, 2015); four-factor Generic Scale of Phubbing (GSP), consisting of 15 questions, aimed at assessing the experience of exposure to phubbing. The following factors were identified as important: nomophobia, interpersonal conflict, self-isolation, recognition of the problem; Internet Addiction Test by Kimberly Young (Internet Addiction Test, IAT), translated and modified by V.A. Loskutova (Burova). Statistical processing of the research materials was performed using standard statistical procedures. Specialized application software packages «Excel» and «IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0» were used, providing the calculation of univariate statistics and comparative analysis. The study was conducted at the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in 2023, among the 1st – 4th year cadets. The sample consisted of 1,054 respondents aged from 17 to 26, the average age was 19.99 ± 1,495, of which 561 were male (53.2%) and 493 were female (46.8%). The results of the study. A comparative analysis of the manifestation of phubbing in male and female cadets showed significant gender differences in the factors «nomophobia» and «recognition of the problem». Based on the negative averages, it can be concluded that there is no phubbing among cadets, which is confirmed by the results of the empirical study. It was also found that male cadets are less prone to phone addiction and recognition of the problem of addiction than female cadets. When studying the gender characteristics of Internet addiction, no significant differences between the sexes were found. Scientific novelty. For the first time, a study of gender features of the manifestations of phubbing in students of educational organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia was conducted. As a result of the study, the socio-psychological symptoms of phubbing in the educational environment were clarified. Practical significance. The obtained research results can be used in the process of training and psychological support of cadets of educational institutions of higher education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.