Shenakht Journal of Psychology & Psychiatry

Introduction: Phubbing is a harmful social behavior in which individuals ignore those around them and instead focus on their smartphones during interpersonal interactions.
Aim: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of solution-focused training in reducing smartphone addiction and improving cognitive emotion regulation in adolescents experiencing phubbing-related harm.
Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest-follow-up control group design. The study population comprised female middle school students exhibiting phubbing behaviors, recruited from private schools in District 2 of Isfahan, Iran, in 2024. A total of 36 students were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Both groups completed the Smartphone Addiction and Cognitive Emotion Regulation questionnaires. The experimental group received eight 75-minute sessions of solution-focused training. After the intervention, both groups completed the questionnaires again, and a two-month follow-up assessment was conducted. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc tests in SPSS-26.
Results: The results indicated significant differences between the experimental and control groups in both smartphone addiction and cognitive emotion regulation scores at the posttest and at the two-month follow-up (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The findings indicate that solution-based training can reduce smartphone addiction and enhance cognitive emotion regulation in adolescents affected by phubbing. This approach can be used in psychological and educational interventions.