The relationship between the nomophobic levels of higher education students in Ghana and academic achievement

Abstract

There is an upsurge in the use of mobile phones among higher education students in Ghana, which may result in the nomophobia prevalence with the students. Therefore, the need to assess the influence of nomophobia within the student population in Ghana. This descriptive cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of nomophobia and the sociodemographic variables, and the association with academic achievement of the understudied population. A self-reporting nomophobia questionnaire, composed of 20 dimensions, was answered by 670 university students to measure the nomophobia prevalence. Raw data were estimated using descriptive statistics, and one-way ANOVA and Independent T-test. While the findings showed diverse grades of nomophobia, statistical significance between academic achievement and the level of nomophobia was observed. This study concludes that there is a high nomophobia prevalence among university students in Ghana as the use of smartphones increases. However, follow-up studies should be conducted in Ghanaian universities to monitor nomophobia and its associates in order to reduce the adverse effects of habitual use of smartphones.

Watch out for nomophobia, so it does not catch you! Effects of digital dependence syndrome on mental health

“…t (441) = 1.004; p = 0.316). This result is in line with results similar to Essel et al (2021). However, the results were different from the research by Le on-Mejía et al (2021), who showed that young women would suffer more from the effect of nomophobia.…”

“…However, it is essential to consider other effects that affect mental health for future studies. The survey results support the need for further research on the effects of nomophobia in specific problematic environments, such as the cyberloafing effect (Chatterjee, 2020;Essel et al, 2021;Kara et al, 2019;Masadeh, 2021).…”

“…Anxiety, associated with the feeling of loneliness and difficulties in interpersonal relationships, must be studied together to understand nomophobia (Çevik-Durmaz et al, 2021;Wei et al, 2015). Indeed, some psychological studies suggest that anxiety may be a standard component of nomophobia disorders (Chatterjee, 2020;Essel et al, 2021). Finally, we formulate the hypothesis:…”

“…Several studies have been developed regarding factors associated with smartphone addiction and nomophobia. Nomophobia has been associated with factors such as loneliness (Kim et al , 2017; Park and Lee, 2014; Park, 2014), anxiety (Demi̇rci̇ et al , 2015; Essel et al , 2021; Kim and Koh, 2018; Kim et al , 2017) and depression (Kim and Koh, 2018; Kim et al , 2017; Park and Lee, 2014). Some studies addressed reactions between the excessive use of smartphones and users’ productivity due to frequent interruptions (Duke and Montag, 2017).…”

“…The research is justified by understanding the effect of nomophobia, a product of the excessive use of smartphones, especially concerning psychological disorders in individuals (Chatterjee, 2020; Essel et al , 2021; León-Mejía et al , 2021). The study seeks to contribute to companies that support employees (primarily young) in developing self-organization, self-reflection and self-regulation skills by analyzing personal factors caused by smartphone addiction and the practice of nomophobia.…”