Nomophobia Questionnaire Research Articles

Internet addiction and nomophobia among medical undergraduates of a tertiary care teaching institute in Patna, Eastern India.

Excess use of the internet and gadgets for learning, gaming, and socialization has resulted in addictive behavior and nomophobia, especially among college-going students. Thus, this study was designed to find out the proportion and predictors of internet addiction and nomophobia among medical undergraduates. This cross-sectional study conducted on 367 medical undergraduates of a teaching hospital was carried out using a standard tool: the Internet Addiction Test Short Form for screening internet addiction and the Nomophobia Questionnaire for nomophobia. Results were tabulated and multivariable binomial logistic regression analysis was performed to find out the predictors of internet addiction and nomophobia. A total of 116 (31.6%, 95% CI: 27%-36.5%) students were addicted to the internet and 247 (67.3%, 95% CI: 62.3%-71.9%) were screened to have moderate-to-severe nomophobia. The age of the student (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 0.83 [0.69-0.99]), male gender (AOR: 2.24 [1.33-3.79]), screen time (AOR: 1.24 [1.14-1.34]), checking the phone first in the morning (AOR: 1.98 [1.107-3.54]), non-leisure time usage of phone (AOR: 2.07 [1.25-3.4]), and altered reading habit (AOR: 2.51 [1.26-5.01]) were independent predictors of internet addiction. Increased screen time (AOR: 1.103 [1.016-1.23]), checking the phone first in the morning after waking up (AOR: 1.68 [1.05-2.81]), altered academic performance (AOR: 1.99 [1.079-3.68]), and presence of internet addiction (AOR: 8.17 [3.56-18.76]) were independent predictors of moderate-to-severe nomophobia among medical students. One and two out of every three medical students were found to have internet addiction and moderate-to-severe nomophobia, respectively. Increased screen time, altered academic performance, and the presence of internet addiction were independent predictors of moderate-to-severe nomophobia.

Attachment Styles and Nomophobia in Young Adults: The Mediating Role of Mindful Awareness

The present study investigated the relationships among attachment style, mindful awareness and nomophobia in university students. The study hypothesized that attachment style and mindful awareness are likely to predict nomophobia in university students; and mindful awareness is likely to mediate the relationship between attachment styles and nomophobia. With the help of cross-sectional research design and non-probability purposive sampling technique, a sample of 208 young adults was selected. Data was collected through Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ; Van Oudenhoven et al., 2003), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MASS; Brown & Ryan, 2003) and Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP- Q; Yildirim & Correia, 2015). To analyze the data, SPSS and AMOS software were used. It was showed by Pearson Product Moment Correlation that secure attachment style had positive association with nomophobia and mindful awareness. Fearful and preoccupied attachment styles had negative association with mindful awareness and both are positively related to nomophobia. Analysis showed that secure, fearful, and preoccupied attachment styles were positively predicting nomophobia. Secure attachment style was positively predicting mindful awareness but fearful and preoccupied attachment styles were negatively predicting mindful awareness. Furthermore, mediation analysis showed that mindful awareness was significantly mediating the relationsship between attachment style and nomophobia. It was concluded that mindfulness could be helpful in the management of nomophobia.

The Prevalence of Mild, Moderate, and Severe Nomophobia Symptoms: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression.

NOMOPHOBIA, or NO MObile PHone Phobia, refers to a psychological condition in which people fear being disconnected from their mobile phones. The purpose of this review was to establish the prevalence of nomophobia symptoms in youth and young adults according to severity, country, culture, population, measurement tool, and year of data collection. An electronic search of fourteen databases, two digital preservation services, and three content aggregator services was conducted from the inception of each database until 15 September 2021. A total of 52 studies involving 47,399 participants from 20 countries were included in the analyses. The prevalence of nomophobia was defined as the proportion of individuals scoring at or above established cut-offs on validated measures. Based on a random-effects meta-analysis, approximately 20% of individuals showed mild symptoms of nomophobia, 50% showed moderate symptoms, and 20% showed severe symptoms. Our results showed that university students from non-Western cultures are the most likely to suffer severe symptoms. In the year 2021, the prevalence rate of nomophobia increased. The instrument that was best able to detect nomophobia was the nomophobia questionnaire. Most individuals who own mobile phones experience mild or moderate symptoms of nomophobia. Severe symptoms deserve attention from clinicians and research scientists. A valid method of identifying individuals with a severe addiction to their mobile phones will help with timely and effective therapeutic management.

Exploring nomophobia with a German adaption of the nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q-D).

Nomophobia is considered a disorder of the modern world and describes the fear of being separated from one's smartphone and being no longer connected and reachable. The aims of this Study were to translate the nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q) into German, validate the NMP-Q-D, and use it to shed light on the nomophobia construct. A total of 807 volunteer test subjects were included in the evaluation, 50 of them participated five months later in a retest study. A 4-factor structure of the NMP-Q-D could be confirmed by exploratory as well as by confirmatory factor analyses. The four factors are: (1) "Not being able to communicate", (2) "Losing connectedness", (3) "Not being able to access information", and (4) "Giving up convenience". The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the NMP-Q-D was .92 and the test-retest-reliability was .80. Significant correlations of frequency of smartphone usage with time spent confirmed criterion validity of NMP-Q-D. Construct validity was given by significant correlations of NMP-Q-D to fear of missing out and smartphone addiction. Neuroticism was positively associated with nomophobia, while consciousness and openness were lightly negatively associated. Anxiety correlated significantly positively with factor 1, and stress with factors 1 and 4. Life satisfaction was positively associated with factor 3 and well-being negatively with factor 4. A multiple regression analysis revealed smartphone usage, gender, and neuroticism as significant predictors of nomophobia. Females scored significantly higher for factors 1 and 4 compared to males. Nomophobia was rather widespread in the sample: Nearly half of the participants (49.4%) had a moderate level of nomophobia and 4.1% a severe nomophobia.

Adaptation of the Phubbing Scale and of the Generic Scale of Being Phubbed for the Portuguese population

Excessive, abusive, or inappropriate use of mobile phones can have a negative effect on interpersonal relationships. This study aims to adapt the Phubbing Scale (PS) and the Generic Scale of Being Phubbed (GSBP) for the Portuguese population, establishing the convergent validity of the instruments with others that assess approximate constructs, such as the Partner Phubbing Scale (PPS)and the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), and investigate the differences and/or relationships between sociodemographic variables, mobile phone usage variables and the PS and the GSBP. This is a cross sectional study, including 641 participants, aged between 18-71 (M=27.91; SD=10.60). The Portuguese version of the PS kept the number of items and factors, however, distributed differently from the original version. The Portuguese version of the GSBP kept the structure proposed by the authors of the original version. The correlations obtained by both scales with other instruments ensured convergent validity. Differences were found in the values of the scales according to some sociodemographic variables and some variables regarding mobile phone use. The findings provide culturally adapted and validated two instruments and are helpful to researchers to assess this phenomenon and intervene in a timely manner.

Nomophobia among medical students before and after COVID-19 – A propensity score-matched study

Abstract Introduction: NOMObile PHone PhOBIA (NOMOPHOBIA) is a psychological condition where people fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity or use. Mobile phones became the main source of entertainment and academics during the lockdown enforced to contain COVID-19. The present study aims to find the change in the prevalence, severity, and characteristics of nomophobia among medical students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students during September 2019 and after the second wave of COVID-19 in September 2021, using Google Forms. The form included sociodemographic data, clinical details, characteristics of mobile phone usage, and the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q). The two groups (2019 and 2021) were matched using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. Results: There were significant differences between the groups in terms of age, time spent and purpose of mobile phone usage, and frequently used mobile applications. Among the 2019 and 2021 groups, 99.50% and 99.54% had nomophobia, respectively. No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of severity, and dimensions of NMP-Q, except the dimension of “losing connectedness.” After PSM, similar results of nil significant differences, except the increase in severity of the dimension of “losing connectedness” in the 2021 group were found. Conclusion: The COVID-19 infection and lockdown, which happened during the era of technological advancement, have not changed the characteristics of nomophobia among medical students. However, post-COVID-19, there is a significant increase in the feelings of losing ubiquitous connectivity provided by mobile phones. If you find yourself always alert for phone notifications or reaching out to get your phone at frequent intervals, it’s time for a digital detox.

Validation of a Spanish Adaption of a Questionnaire for Measuring Nomophobia among University Students

Smartphones are highly useful in contemporary society. However, their use can lead to problems, such as dependency and addiction. Nomophobia is a pathological fear of losing connectedness or not being able to access information or communicate with other people. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the four dimensions of the original version of the NMP-Q questionnaire by Yildirim and Correia using the Spanish version of the questionnaire developed by Gutiérrez-Puertas et al. Similarly, this research aims at assessing whether the questionnaire retains its four-dimensional structure when applied to a population of university students in the area of social sciences at a Mexican university. Using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis techniques, we determined that nomophobia among the study population can be addressed through the first three dimensions of the original questionnaire, namely, not being able to communicate, losing connectedness, and not being able to access information. A fourth dimension, entitled “giving up convenience”, is mentioned in the literature. However, in this study, this dimension could not be clearly identified with the indicators included in the original questionnaire and was, therefore, omitted from the resulting questionnaire. Nomophobia is a modern phenomenon that is becoming increasingly prevalent in our society. Therefore, it must be studied and addressed. The nomophobia questionnaire presented in this article is a reliable way of taking measurements, as indicated by the research results. Further research should deepen the study of measuring nomophobia and improve the questionnaire through other indicators and conceptual dimensions that help explain this phenomenon in a precise and reliable way.

Assessment of Nomophobia and Loneliness in Rural Turkish Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Nomophobia, short for “no mobile phone phobia,” is defined as having an involuntary and unreasonable fear when the mobile device is unreachable or uncommunicable. Aims: The study aimed to evaluate nomophobia and loneliness levels of high school (HS) students from a rural region. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between November 5 and December 28, 2018, on 850 HS students in Sivrihisar, Eskis¸ehir, Turkey. Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and UCLA Loneliness Scale were used. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman Correlation analysis, and Multiple Linear Regression were performed. Results: In the study group, 429 (50.5%) were female. Their ages ranged from 13 to 19, and their mean age (standard deviation [SD]) was 15.66 (1.18) years. The mean score (SD) from NMP-Q was 54.92 (14.87), while the mean score (SD) from the UCLA loneliness scale was 13.95 (4.60). Multivariate analysis showed that being a female, having first smartphone use before the age of 13, having high daily smartphone usage, having a high frequency of checking phones, and having more friends on social media than in real life were associated with higher nomophobia levels (F = 28.424, P < .001, R² = 0.213). There was a positive weak correlation between nomophobia and loneliness levels (r = 0.353, P = .001). Conclusions: Factors such as phone usage habits and loneliness, which can be changed by providing education and creating appropriate environments in schools, are important determinants of nomophobia among HS students in rural areas, suggesting that interventions to combat nomophobia are possible.

Correlation between Nomophobia, Fear of Missing Out and Academic Success

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between nomophobia and fear of missing out with academic performance among nursing students. Method: This cross-sectional research was performed with students in the nursing department of a health sciences faculty in a university in Turkey. The study was completed with 241 participants attending the nursing department. Data were collected with the descriptive survey form, nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q), and fear of missing out scale (FoMOs).. Results: The research determined that nursing students had mean NMP-Q (73.82±21.27) and FoMOs (21.36±6.93) points at average levels. The model in the research was significant and the variables of gender and income explained 17% of general point average (GPA). Accordingly, GPA was lower by 2.4 points for men and by 0.9 points for those whose income did not match their expenditure Conclusion: The study identified that NMP-Q and FoMOs points were at moderate levels and these did not have an effect on the academic success level of nursing students. However, considering the seriousness of problems created by increasing technology use and digital problems currently, taking precautionary measures against these problems will be an effective intervention.

NOMOPHOBIA, SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS

Background: Nomophobia is mobile phone addiction, characterized by an intense and irrational fear of being without a mobile phone, which affects the sleep and leisure activities of youth. The study examined the relationship between nomophobia, sleep deprivation, and leisure activities. It also measured the mediating role of nomophobia between sleep deprivation and leisure activities and find out demographic differences (age, gender, education, socioeconomic status) on nomophobia, sleep deprivation, and leisure activities. Methods: Conveniently selected sample of 500 adolescents and young adults from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after informed consent, was measured on Nomophobia Questionnaire, Athens Insomnia Scale, and Pittsburg Enjoyable Activities Scale. The data were collected from March to August 2019. The sample was further divided based on age (adolescents 250) (young adults 250). Results: Nomophobia has a significant positive correlation with sleep deprivation and has a significant negative correlation with leisure activities. Nomophobia significantly mediated between sleep deprivation and leisure activities. Significant differences of age, socio-economic status, and education on nomophobia, sleep deprivation, and leisure activities were found. Furthermore, significant gender differences were found on nomophobia and leisure activities, while non-significant gender differences were concluded on sleep deprivation. Conclusion: Nomophobia and sleep deprivation are greater in adolescents who belong to lower social class, while involvement in leisure activities is higher in young adults who belong to upper social class. Females have a higher level of nomophobia and involve less in leisure activities than males. Pak J Physiol 2022;18(3):30?4

The Presence of Nomophobia in Assistant Health Staff Working in a Hospital and its Effect on Work Stress

The Presence of Nomophobia in Assistant Health Staff Working in a Hospital and its Effect on Work Stress 
 
 ABSTRACT
 
 Objective: This study aims to examine the presence of nomophobia in assistant healthcare personnel working in a hospital and its effect on work stress.
 
 Methods: This complementary study was conducted with 207 healthcare professionals who met the study criteria and agreed to participate in the study. Personal Information Form, Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), and Work Stress Scale were used to collect the data. Percentage, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, and χ2 methods were used to evaluate the data. 
 
 Results: The reliability coefficient of the Nomophobia Questionnaire Total-NMPQ was found to be 0.95. It was found that singles, nurses, EMT, and other healthcare personnel, emergency and intensive care workers, and employees between 10-19 years were significantly higher than others when the total and sub-scale scores of nomophobia were evaluated in the whole group (p

A Social Media Outage Was Associated with a Surge in Nomophobia, and the Magnitude of Change in Nomophobia during the Outage Was Associated with Baseline Insomnia.

We examined the immediate impact of a social media outage on nomophobia and associated symptoms using a longitudinal cohort design. Data were collected at two timepoints, baseline (T1) and during the social media outage of 4 October 2021 (T2). T1 was collected in August–September 2021 as part of the baseline of an ongoing study. The nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7), and Athens insomnia scale (AIS) were administered to 2706 healthy participants from the general Bahraini population (56% females, mean age 33.57 ± 11.65 years). Approximately one month later, during the social media outage, 306 of the study participants were opportunistically assessed using the NMP-Q. At baseline, we found that nomophobia levels strongly correlated positively with both insomnia (p = 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (p = 0.001). This is the first report to examine the impact of a social media outage on nomophobia. Our findings indicate that symptoms of nomophobia increased significantly during a social media outage. Baseline insomnia scores predicted a surge in the global scores of nomophobia symptoms during a social media outage.

Associations of Problematic Internet Use, Weight-Related Self-Stigma, and Nomophobia with Physical Activity: Findings from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Malaysia.

Insufficient physical activity is a common problem for university students because they may engage in sedentary lifestyle owing to excessive time spent on their smartphones and social media use. This may result in problematic internet use (PIU) and nomophobia (fear of not having a mobile phone). Moreover, prior evidence shows that weight-related self-stigma is an important factor contributing to low physical activity. Therefore, the present study examined the associations between PIU, nomophobia, and physical activity among university students across mainland China, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Participants (3135 mainland Chinese, 600 Taiwanese, and 622 Malaysian) completed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS), Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMPQ), Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ), and International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF). The measurement invariance of the assessed questionnaires was supported across the three regions. The present findings analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling showed that (i) greater nomophobia was associated with higher levels of physical activity, (ii) greater weight-related self-stigma was associated with higher levels of physical activity, and (iii) greater nomophobia was associated with greater weight-related self-stigma. Although the present findings suggest the possibility that experiencing some level of nomophobia or weight-related self-stigma appears to help improve physical activity, it is not recommended that these be encouraged, but reducing PIU should be targeted as a means to improve physical activity.

Association Between Personality Traits/Dimensions and Fear of No Mobile Phone Connectivity (nomophobia): Results of a Lebanese National Study.

Objective: To study nomophobia in a large sample of Lebanese adults and its relationship with personality traits and other sociodemographic factors that may contribute to the diagnosis such as sex, parental status, and smoking.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and July 2019. A total of 2,260 residents randomly selected from districts in Lebanon completed a questionnaire about sociodemographic characteristic and smoking. Respondents also completed the Nomophobia Questionnaire, Personality Inventory for DSM-5, and NEO Five-Factor Inventory.Results: The results of a linear regression, taking the nomophobia score as the dependent variable, showed that higher neuroticism (B = 0.648), number of waterpipes smoked per week (B = 0.749), and disinhibition (B = 0.706) were significantly associated with higher nomophobia, whereas more agreeableness (B = -0.535) and detachment (B = -0.594) were significantly associated with lower nomophobia.Conclusions: This study assessed the variation of inherent personality traits using 2 validated personality questionnaires and their association with nomophobia. As digital use becomes more prevalent within personal and professional aspects of life, nomophobia might become an anxiety risk. Future studies should focus on preventive and treatment measures in the form of awareness campaigns.

The association between nomophobia and loneliness among the general population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BackgroundNomophobia progresses through phases (initiation, affirmation, need, and dependency), similarly to addiction, and manifests in a variety of ways, including socially, physiologically, and physically. The objective of the study is to examine the association between nomophobia and feelings of loneliness among a sample of the general population from the KSA. Data were gathered between 5 March and 5 April 2022 using a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design. Five hundred twenty-six participants make up the sample for this study. The information is gathered using a sociodemographic data sheet, Internet usage profiles, a nomophobia questionnaire, and the Loneliness Scale.ResultsThe majority of people in the study sample use the Internet for between 4 and 9 h, most immediately in the morning, on waking, for gaming, and for social communication. For nomophobia levels among the study population, the highest percentage is for a moderate level of nomophobia, with the highest means being for factor 1 (unable to communicate), followed by factor 4 (giving up convenience). They also have a moderate level of loneliness.ConclusionsThe multivariate analysis shows that the total loneliness score is strongly and positively correlated with the total nomophobia score and its four factors and the duration of daily mobile Internet use. There are also negative correlations with age and education level. Additionally, the overall nomophobia score has an inverse relationship with income level and age, but a high relationship with the frequency of daily mobile Internet use. The study suggests that there is a need for psychoeducation for a variety of sociodemographic groups to raise awareness about the psychological repercussions of nomophobia, practices that will help to reduce the time spent online for arbitrary reasons, to discover new and entertaining ways of communicating with each other.

An Examination of the Relation between In-Service Preschool Teachers and Preschool Teacher Candidates’ Levels of Nomophobia and FoMO

The purpose of this study was to assess in-service preschool teachers’ and preschool teacher candidates’ levels of Nomophobia (NO MObile PHone phOBIA) and FoMO (Fear of Missing Out). This study is a quantitative one in its nature, and rests on the correlational survey design from descriptive research models. We recruited a total of 310 participants in the study group. We collected data through the Nomophobia Questionnaire and the FOMO Scale. We found that both the in-service preschool teachers and the preschool teacher candidates had severe levels of nomophobia and moderate levels of FoMO. The in-service preschool teachers’ nomophobia scores did not differ significantly by age groups, but there was a statistically significant difference in their FoMO scores among age groups. Moreover, there were statistically significant differences between the in-service preschool teachers and the preschool teacher candidates’ nomophobia and FoMO scores. Accordingly, the preschool teacher candidates had higher mean scores in their nomophobia and FoMO levels when compared with the in-service ones. Based on these findings, new inquiries about/into teachers’ nomophobia and FoMO levels should be done to be able to make comparisons. Further, it could give fruitful results to recruit teachers from different branches. Another suggestion is to test teachers’ nomophobia and FoMO levels in terms of demographics, particularly respecting gender and marital status as well as culture so that the justifications could be made about the results.

The effects of the nomophobic behaviors of emergency room nurses on their clinical decision-making perceptions: A cross-sectional study

This study analyzed the effects of the nomophobic behaviors of emergency room nurses on their clinical decision-making perceptions. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed with the participation of 186 nurses working in emergency rooms of certain hospitals located in eastern Turkey. In the data collection process, a sociodemographic data form, the Nomophobia Questionnaire, and the Clinical Decision-Making in Nursing Scale were used. It was discerned that the participants had medium-level nomophobia (66.64 ± 25.36) and clinical decision-making perceptions (149.00 ± 26.33). A strong negative relationship was identified between nomophobia and clinical decision-making perceptions (r: −.730, p < 0.01). Moreover, it was found that the predictor variable, nomophobia explained 53% of the variance in the predicted variable, clinical decision-making perceptions (R2: 0.530, p: 0.000). In the study, it was found that emergency room nurses had medium-level nomophobia and clinical decision-making perceptions. Besides, we observed that the clinical decision-making perception levels of the participants decreased as their nomophobia levels increased. As the risk of making medical errors is likely to increase along with an increase in nomophobia levels, it is recommended that education programs be organized to get emergency room nurses’ nomophobic behaviors under control.

Nomophobia, netlessphobia, and fear of missing out in nursing students: A cross-sectional study in distance education

BackgroundIn the pandemic, along with distance education, nursing students' smartphone and internet usage habits have changed and their duration has been extended. However, the effect of this situation on problems that may develop due to excessive/inappropriate use of smartphones and the internet such as nomophobia, netlessphobia, fear of missing out is unknown. This study was conducted to measure nursing students' nomophobia, netlessphobia, and fear of missing out levels and identify the correlations between them. MethodsThis descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study was conducted on 802 students studying in 3 nursing faculties between November 2021 and February 2022. Introductory Information Form, Nomophobia Questionnaire, Fırat Netlessphobia Scale and Fear of Missing Out Scale were used to collect the data. ResultsThe nursing students used their smartphones for 5.13 ± 2.26 h on average per day and used internet from their smartphones for 4.65 ± 2.74 h. They considered themselves as partly smartphone addicts and they were active users on social media platforms such as WhatsApp (97.3 %) or Instagram (82.2 %). The students' nomophobia mean score was 2.98 ± 0.78, their netlessphobia mean score was 2.53 ± 0.87, and their fear of missing out mean score was 2.18 ± 0.80. Netlessphobia alone accounted for 44.4 % of nomophobia and there was a positive and moderate correlation between them (r = 0.666; p < .001). Fear of missing out alone accounted for 18.5 % of nomophobia and there was a positive and moderate correlation between them (r = 0.430; p < .001). Both of them affected nomophobia by 45.4 %. ConclusionsDespite the increase in the digital activities of nursing students in the distance education process, it is positive that the netlessphobia and fear of missing out scores are low. However, higher nomophobia scores and strong relationships between concepts require being aware of possible problems, monitoring and taking precautions.

Relationship between nomophobia and impulsivity among deaf and hard-of-hearing youth

Excessive use of smartphones is known to be associated with negative social, physical, and psychological outcomes across age groups. A related problem is called “no-mobile-phone phobia” or “nomophobia,” which is an extreme anxiety caused by not having access to a mobile phone. Despite their detrimental effects, smartphone use is highly prevalent among deaf/hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals owing to their accessibility features. Therefore, it was deemed important to identify the prevalence of nomophobia in DHH youth and to examine the association between impulsivity and nomophobia. Gender-based differences in nomophobia and impulsivity were also examined. Data were collected from 187 DHH youth in Saudi Arabia using the Nomophobia Questionnaire and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (short form). Findings revealed that 71.65% of the participants experienced severe nomophobia. While, nomophobia was more prevalent among female DHH youth than males, this difference was not observed for impulsivity. A linear regression analysis indicated that higher impulsivity was significantly associated with higher nomophobia in this sample. These findings suggest the importance of helping youth understand the disadvantages of smartphone use, and the consequences of their abuse or addiction to smartphones by incorporating this information into school curricula. Additionally, educating parents may help them monitor their children’s smartphone use more closely.

Internet-Related Instruments (Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, and Nomophobia Questionnaire) and Their Associations with Distress among Malaysian University Students.

The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of four instruments related to internet use, namely the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS), (nine-item) Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short Form (IGDS9-SF), and Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMPQ) as well as their associations with psychological distress among Malaysian university students. A total of 380 Malaysian university students (71.6% females, mean age 24.0 years) were recruited through convenience sampling and completed an online survey including questions concerning socio-demographic background, social media addiction, smartphone addiction, internet gaming disorder, and nomophobia. Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis were applied to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instruments and Cronbach’s alpha value and McDonald’s omega value were used to confirm the internal consistency reliability of the instruments. The unidimensional structure was confirmed for the BSMAS, SABAS, and IGDS9-SF while the four-factor structure was confirmed for NMPQ. All instruments showed good internal consistency reliability. Promising validity and reliability were confirmed for BSMAS, SABAS, IGDS9-SF, and NMPQ. Therefore, they are useful to assess different types of problematic internet use among university students in Malaysia. Furthermore, a significant association was observed between internet use and psychological distress. The present study is the first to investigate the validity and reliability of BSMAS, SABAS, IGDS9-SF, and NMPQ among Malaysian university students using rigorous psychometric testing methods (i.e., Rasch analysis).