Nomophobia as an Emerging Psychopathology Psychophysiological Mechanisms and Clinical Implications

Background The phenomenon of anxiety stemming from the absence of a smartphone or mobile device, known as nomophobia, has become increasingly prevalent in contemporary society. This condition is particularly pronounced among young adults and is associated with several adverse psychological outcomes, including depression, anxiety, stress, somatic complaints and anxiety- related disorders. Purpose This study aims to examine the prevalence of nomophobia and its psychopathological correlations. Methods The study sample comprised N = 200 college/university students and working adults in the age group of 18–25 years. The Nomophobia Scale, developed by Yildirim and Correia (2015), and the short version of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) by Morey (1991) were employed. The research utilised SPSS-26, a quantitative analysis software, and applied descriptive statistics along with Pearson Product-Moment correlation and simple linear regression. Findings The results indicated a significant positive correlation between nomophobia and certain subscales of psychological symptoms, such as depression, somatic complaints, anxiety, and anxiety- related disorders. And Nomophobia significantly predicted psychopathologies among young adults.