The Prevalence of Mild, Moderate, and Severe Nomophobia Symptoms: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression

Abstract

NOMOPHOBIA, or NO MObile PHone Phobia, refers to a psychological condition in which people fear being disconnected from their mobile phones. The purpose of this review was to establish the prevalence of nomophobia symptoms in youth and young adults according to severity, country, culture, population, measurement tool, and year of data collection. An electronic search of fourteen databases, two digital preservation services, and three content aggregator services was conducted from the inception of each database until 15 September 2021. A total of 52 studies involving 47,399 participants from 20 countries were included in the analyses. The prevalence of nomophobia was defined as the proportion of individuals scoring at or above established cut-offs on validated measures. Based on a random-effects meta-analysis, approximately 20% of individuals showed mild symptoms of nomophobia, 50% showed moderate symptoms, and 20% showed severe symptoms. Our results showed that university students from non-Western cultures are the most likely to suffer severe symptoms. In the year 2021, the prevalence rate of nomophobia increased. The instrument that was best able to detect nomophobia was the nomophobia questionnaire. Most individuals who own mobile phones experience mild or moderate symptoms of nomophobia. Severe symptoms deserve attention from clinicians and research scientists. A valid method of identifying individuals with a severe addiction to their mobile phones will help with timely and effective therapeutic management.

The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms and functional constipation, and related risk factors among Chinese university students: a cross-sectional study

“…Regarding the rst nding, although epidemiologic surveys of depressive and anxiety symptoms among university students have been conducted, the results have been inconsistent. For example, the metaanalysis by Jahrami et al reported a global prevalence of 32.5% for both depression and anxiety among students [49], while Martínez-Líbano et al reported percentages of 63.1% and 69.2% for depression and anxiety [50], respectively. Ramón-Arbués et al reported results of 3.8% and 24.5% for depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively, among students [33].…”

Internal consistency and structural validity of the nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q) and its translations: A systematic review with meta-analysis

“…There is also evidence from another recent meta-analysis that shows that most people have mild or moderate symptoms, with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms being present in 25%, 50%, and 20%, respectively [ 43 ]. Severe symptoms are most common among university students from non-Western cultures and countries [ 43 ]. The year 2021 saw an increase in the prevalence of nomophobia, which could be linked to COVID-19 [ 43 ].…”

“…Severe symptoms are most common among university students from non-Western cultures and countries [ 43 ]. The year 2021 saw an increase in the prevalence of nomophobia, which could be linked to COVID-19 [ 43 ].…”

Specifying and validating overconfidence bias among retail investors: a formative index

“…Thus, financially literate investors were also influenced by behavioral biases (Rieger et al, 2022a;Iram et al, 2023;Jonsson et al, 2017). In another research study, fear of missing out (FOMO) emerged as a novel behavioral bias to affect the investment decision-making process of investors (Gupta and Shrivastava, 2022;Jahrami et al, 2022;Shiva et al, 2020). These behavioral biases were garnered from the existing market structure and related parameters to affect the investors' decision-making abilities (Jain et al, 2022;Iram et al, 2023;Jahrami et al, 2022;Shiva et al, 2020).…”

“…, 2017). In another research study, fear of missing out (FOMO) emerged as a novel behavioral bias to affect the investment decision-making process of investors (Gupta and Shrivastava, 2022; Jahrami et al. , 2022; Shiva et al.…”