Prevalence and health risk factors of nomophobia among students in private colleges

Nomophobia is the fear of being out of smartphone contact. This study examines its prevalence and potential links to socio-demographic and risk factors. Modern technologies have led to nomophobia, a psychosocial risk factor causing technostress. This fear of new technologies is influenced by ergonomics, which studies how humans physically react to and fit with devices. Technostress is a result of altered behaviors resulting from the use of modern technologies at work and home. The primary goal of this research was to assess the prevalence of nomophobia among college students with specific objectives and research questions. Researchers used a quantitative cross-sectional design to assess nomophobia among 231 higher secondary students. Participants completed a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire, and the study maintained ethical considerations. Researchers analyzed the data using SPSS version 26. The respondents had a mean age of 17.18 years. The study found that 49.8% used smartphones for more than 1-3 hours daily, while 28.1% checked their phones for notifications a few times daily. Findings revealed that 32% of respondents experienced mild nomophobia, 34.2% had a moderate level, and 33.8% suffered from severe nomophobia. Sixty-seven-point-five percent of respondents used smartphones primarily for social media. The study found no significant association between socio-demographic factors and nomophobia levels. However, daily smartphone usage showed a substantial correlation with nomophobia severity. These results indicate that most respondents experienced some degree of nomophobia, with its prevalence likely increasing. Effective management of nomophobia requires early detection and proactive intervention strategies.