Prevalence of nomophobia and its associated factors among medical students of a private medical college in Lahore

Abstract

Background and Objective: Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our daily life. Nomophobia (NMP) is an abbreviation for “no-mobile-phone phobia,” which defines apprehension faced by mobile phone users in its absence which leads them to become technically unable to communicate. Objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of NMP and its association with the demographic factors among medical students of a private medical college in Lahore. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the medical students from first to final year classes from May to November 2021. A validated NMP questionnaire was used along with questions related to the sociodemographic profile and frequency of mobile phone usage by the respondents. The self-reported questionnaire was filled out by all the students who were present on the day of data collection. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20. Results: Out of 646 medical students, 618 filled the questionnaire. Out of 618 respondents, 51.5% had moderate and 38.2% had severe NMP. Among sociodemographic variables, females (40.8%) had a statistically significant association with NMP (p = 0.027). Usage of mobile phones per day and disturbance in the students’ daily routine had a statistically significant association with the NMP (p = 0.029 and p = <0.001, respectively). Conclusion: NMP is very common among medical students and females are more likely to experience this phenomenon. Frequent usage of mobile phones is directly related to NMP affecting the daily routine of the medical students.