Nomophobia: A Mixed-Methods Study on Prevalence, Associated Factors, and Perception among College Students in Puducherry, India

Abstract

Background:As more people are utilizing smartphones, nomophobia is also on the rise. Several Indian studies have revealed nomophobia among young adults. The severity of nomophobia and related behaviors is underrated and often go unnoticed in India.Methods:The sociodemographic characteristics, smartphone usage pattern, and perceived ill-health related to smartphone usage of the participants were obtained using a semistructured questionnaire. Twenty-item Nomophobia questionnaire was used to assess nomophobia. In-depth interviews were conducted among students with moderate and severe nomophobia scores.Results:Among the 774 participants, 23.5% had severe nomophobia scores. Older age, male gender, duration and frequency of smartphone usage, use for social networking, checking without reason, and checking smartphone after waking up in the morning were significantly associated with nomophobia. The in-depth interview showed attributes of addiction among the students, like dependency and compulsive behavior. Students also experienced anxiety and frustration when they had to part with their smartphones.Conclusion:A sizable minority of the students had signs of severe nomophobia, distinct patterns of usage, and misperceptions regarding health and their usage pattern.

The Association between Symptoms of Nomophobia, Insomnia and Food Addiction among Young Adults: Findings of an Exploratory Cross-Sectional Survey

“…Our results demonstrate that symptoms of nomophobia are associated with symptoms of insomnia. This is consistent with several studies, which demonstrated a strong association between nomophobia and sleep problems (mainly insomnia) [ 3 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 48 , 49 ]. A direct relationship was found between the nomophobia score of medical students and sleep quality, measured by the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) [ 50 ].…”

“…The same study found a negative association between nomophobia and academic performance [ 17 ]. A mixed-method study in Puducherry, India, on the rate of nomophobia showed that about 80% of college students have moderate-severe nomophobia [ 27 ].…”

“…Nomophobia also has many commonalities with anxiety symptoms (e.g., discomfort, anguish, nervousness, etc.) [ 27 ]; and anxiety has a strong association with insomnia symptoms [ 60 ]. Further research is needed to explore the interaction between nomophobia, anxiety, and insomnia.…”

“…The relationship between nomophobia and sleep problems is better described. A recent systematic review of the nomophobia literature revealed that several studies demonstrated a strong association between nomophobia and sleep problems [ 3 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. However, age and sex differences in the association between nomophobia and sleep problems were left unexamined.…”

Does interpersonal sensitivity and paranoid ideation predict nomophobia: an analysis with a young adult sample

“…In terms of gender differences, several studies found that females are found to be more prone to nomophobia than males (Arpaci, 2019 ; Elhai, Levine, O’Brien, & Armour, 2018 ). However, other studies indicated that males are more inclined to have nomophobia (Aljomaa, Qudah, Albursan, Bakhiet, & Abduljabbar, 2016 ; Jilisha, Venkatachalam, Menon, & Olickal, 2019 ).…”