Prevalence and Pattern of Phantom Ringing and Phantom Vibration among Medical Interns and their Relationship with Smartphone Use and Perceived Stress

Abstract

Background: Phantom sensations like phantom vibration (PV) and phantom ringing (PR)— the sensations of vibration and ringing of the phone when they are not, respectively—are among the latest in the category of “techno-pathology” to receive global attention. This study was conducted with the aim to estimate the prevalence of such sensations among medical interns and their association with perceived stress levels and smartphone usage pattern. Materials and Methods: Ninety-three medical interns using smartphone were recruited for the study. Data were collected anonymously using semi-structured questionnaire, perceived stress scale (PSS), and smartphone addiction scale-short version (SAS-SV). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, independent t -test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: Fifty-nine percent students had a high level of stress, whereas 40% had problematic smartphone use. Sixty percent students experienced PV, whereas 42% experienced PR and both were significantly associated with higher frequency of phone use and the use of vibration mode. Mean SAS-SV score was significantly lower in students who did not perceive PR/PV, whereas mean PSS score was significantly lower in students who did not perceive PV. Conclusion: This study confirms findings from other national and international researches about the experience of cell phone phantom sensations and their relationship with the pattern of phone use and stress level. It also brings to light high levels of stress and problematic smartphone use among medical students during the internship.

Prevalence and Correlates of Excessive Smartphone Use among Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study

“…This frequency of smartphone addiction is higher than the range (39% to 44%) found in the Indian population by a meta-analysis of six Indian studies in 2014 and recent studies in medical students. [6,12,13] This study found no significant gender differences in addiction as opposed to the higher smartphone addiction in female students observed by authors in Korea and the Middle-East. [29][30][31] Similar to our study, no significant gender difference was observed by Basu et al in medical students in India.…”

“…The positive correlation between PSS and SAS-SV scores in our study was higher than the correlation of r = 0.30 reported in another study in medical students in Maharashtra. [13] Samaha et al used similar scales and scoring systems and found an association between smartphone addiction and perceived stress, while another Romanian study reiterated these findings, albeit with different scales of measurement. [34,35] Smartphone addiction provides an escape from reality and could be hypothesized to be a mechanism adopted by students to alleviate stress, but further studies are required in this regard.…”

“…Recent studies have revealed a high prevalence of smartphone addiction in university students and not only urban but also rural school students. [12][13][14][15] Studies in medical students in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, and Maharashtra have found a high prevalence of smartphone addiction, ranging from 34% to 40%. [13,14,16,17] However, the studies in Maharashtra have been limited to private medical institutions.…”

“…[12][13][14][15] Studies in medical students in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, and Maharashtra have found a high prevalence of smartphone addiction, ranging from 34% to 40%. [13,14,16,17] However, the studies in Maharashtra have been limited to private medical institutions. The socioeconomic background of students in government-run medical institutions being different from that of private medical institutions makes it important to study the addiction in the former group.…”

Gadget usage pattern and sleep quality among medical undergraduates during COVID-19 lockdown: a cross-sectional study

“…3 Studies in medical students in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, and Maharashtra have found a high prevalence of smartphone addiction, ranging from 34% to 40%. [4][5][6][7] According to the WHO, this increase in use is associated not only with clear and tremendous benefits to the users and societies, but also with documented cases of excessive use which often have negative health consequences. Thus, gaming disorder was introduced as a new condition in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) which includes health concerns like insufficient physical activity, unhealthy diet, problems with eyesight or hearing, musculoskeletal problems, sleep deprivation, and associated health conditions such as depression and venous thromboembolism.…”