A cross-sectional study reveals high rates and behavioral predictors of nomophobia among university students, highlighting the need for targeted digital wellness interventions.
Key Points
To evaluate the prevalence of nomophobia and investigate its associated sociodemographic characteristics and smartphone-related behaviors among undergraduate medical and university students.
Conducted an online cross-sectional survey among 476 undergraduate medical and non-medical students across eight districts of Bangladesh between September 2023 and July 2025.
Measured nomophobia severity using the validated 20-item Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q; pilot-tested reliability Cronbach's α = 0.82) alongside usage metrics and application preferences.
Analyzed associations via STATA version 16 using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression.
Moderate nomophobia was identified in 46.79% of students, while 25.69% exhibited severe nomophobia (mean participant age: 20.70 ± 1.52 years).
Multiple linear regression confirmed that prolonged daily phone usage (>7 hours), early-morning phone checking immediately upon waking, middle-income status, and frequent engagement with social communication apps independently predicted higher nomophobia scores.