Nomophobia and Its Association with Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS Scale), among Young Adults in Greece.

Smartphones with their numerous applications have become essential daily equipment, prompting scientific research to deal with the impact of their use on psychosocial health. Under this spectrum, the aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the association between nomophobia and the negative emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress, in relation to self-esteem and sociodemographic data, among the young adult population. The study sample consisted of 1408 young adults aged 18-25 years, participating on a voluntary basis with an online anonymous questionnaire. Data were collected through the "Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q)", "Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-short form (DASS-21)", and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). The questionnaire also included socio-demographic characteristics and smartphone use variables. Data analysis showed that women were identified with severe depression and stress to a greater extent than men (63.3% vs. 55.1% for depression and 18.1% vs. 13.8% for stress scale). With respect to nomophobia, participants with severe levels of nomophobia also exhibited severe levels of negative emotional states in all DASS components, i.e., 40.6% in depression, 73.7% in anxiety, and 32.7% in stress (all p values < 0.001). Participants with severe levels of depression and anxiety were very often checking their phone and used it in all daily activities. Moreover, correlation analysis revealed that self-esteem had a moderating effect on the relationship between nomophobia and DASS, a fact that modifies the association between the involved variables: stronger relationships appeared between nomophobia and DASS components in individuals with normal/high self-esteem than in individuals with low self-esteem.

Prevalence and Factors Related to Nomophobia: Arising Issues among Young Adults.

Nomophobia is characterized as apprehension of being apart from smartphone, which causes the user to seek proximity with the device. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence and factors associated to nomophobia among young adults in Athens, the capital city of Greece. A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 1408 young adults aged 18-25 years. The questionnaire was anonymous, including the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, the smartphone uses, and the nomophobia questions. Statistical analyses were done by simple univariable techniques or modeling the data through generalized linear models. Almost all participants (99.9%) exhibited any level of nomophobia, with the moderate level prevailing (57.0%). Women and non-working participants were more likely to exhibit severe nomophobia (adj PR = 1.57) and any level of nomophobia was 30% higher among the participants whose father had no academic degree (p = 0.029). In addition, 59% of those with severe nomophobia had very frequent phone checking (p < 0.001) while 45.8% with any level of nomophobia reported a negative influence on their academic performance. Attention should be paid to early prevention through the development of integrated health promotion programs.

Nomophobia and Self-Esteem: A Cross Sectional Study in Greek University Students.

Nomophobia is a relatively new term describing someone's fear, discomfort, or anxiety when his/her smartphone is not available. It is reported that low self-esteem may contribute to an individual's tendency for nomophobia. The aim of this particular study was to investigate the association between nomophobia and self-esteem among Greek university students. The study sample consisted of 1060 male and female university students aged 18 to 25 years, participating on a voluntary basis with an online anonymous questionnaire. Data were collected through "Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q)" and "Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (RSES)". All participants exhibited some level of nomophobia, with the moderate level prevailing (59.6%). Regarding self-esteem categories, 18.7% of the participants showed low self-esteem, while the rest showed normal/high levels. Students with low self-esteem were twice as likely to exhibit a higher level of nomophobia compared to those with normal/high (adj Cum OR = 1.99, p value < 0.001). Additionally, women and students having fathers without a university education had a higher risk of exhibiting a greater level of nomophobia (adj Cum OR = 1.56 and 1.44, respectively, p values ≤ 0.008). It was observed that low self-esteem and nomophobia are closely connected. Further investigation into this particular issue is needed to explore potential causality between them.

The Emerging Phenomenon of Nomophobia in Young Adults: A Systematic Review Study.

BACKGROUND: Nomophobia (No MObile PHone PhoBIA) refers to the worry or fear that individuals experience when they are without their mobile phone or they are unable to use it. The term was first coined in 2008 and it is considered a modern type of phobia. The aim of the present study was to retrieve and review the most relevant literature on the prevalence of nomophobia and its relationship with psychosocial and physical health among young adults. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted according the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for original papers on the phenomenon of nomophobia in young adults using the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) as the main measuring instrument. The literature was focused on the 3 main topics of prevalence and level of nomophobia, nomophobia and psychosocial effects, and nomophobia and physical health in young adults. FINDINGS: The initial literature corpus consisted of 370 articles of which 40 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in detail. Nomophobia was observed among 15.2%-99.7% of the participants. Research findings indicated increased psychological, emotional, social, and physical side effects due to excessive smartphone use. CONCLUSION: The excessive use of the smartphone is an emerging threat for social, mental, and physical health. There is an increased need for further research in this regard as it is evolving into an epidemic outbreak and concerns directly the field of public health.