Evaluation of nomophobia among medical students using smartphone in north India

Abstract Background Smartphone's popularity has risen to such an extent in recent years that it is unimaginable for the people to stay away from it for a minute. The excessive usage has given rise to a condition termed as nomophobia or a feeling of discomfort or anxiety experienced whenever unable to use the smartphone. The aim of this study was to evaluate nomophobia among medical students who are using smartphones. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate medical students. A 20-item nomophobia questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of nomophobia among the students, and also the purpose and in which context smartphone was used was also asked. Data collected were coded and entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. It was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 16, software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). A chi-square test was used to test the association, and p Results The mean age of the 451 students was 20.7 ± 1.72 years, and the majority were females. Mild nomophobia was seen in 15.5% of the students; 67.2% were having moderate nomophobia, while 17.3% were suffering from severe nomophobia. The overall highest mean score was for ‘not able to communicate’ dimension of nomophobia and lowest for ‘giving up convenience.’ Conclusion Nomophobia is an emerging behavioural problem which needs attention. It is of serious concern that all medical students were suffering from nomophobia, with varying grade of severity. Increasing awareness regarding the harmful effects of smartphone addiction is needed.