How do the core symptoms of nomophobia differ between males and females: a network analysis

While previous research has established gender differences in nomophobia prevalence and smartphone use motivation, few studies have explored whether the core symptoms of nomophobia differ between males and females. Using network analysis, the present study investigated 2,055 smartphone users (1,060 females; 995 males) aged between 17 and 59 (mean age = 27.2 ± 7.3) using the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), to identify gender differences in the core symptoms (i.e., symptoms with high strength centrality) of nomophobia and network structure (i.e., partial correlation among symptoms). The core symptoms of nomophobia among males were: (a) could not know if someone had tried to get a hold of me, (b) could not check messages on WeChat, QQ or emails, and (c) afraid of getting stranded. The core symptoms of nomophobia among females were: (a) could not check messages on WeChat, QQ or emails, and (b) disconnected from my online identity. Node centrality and network structure differed significantly between males and females. These findings illustrate the importance of a loss of online connection in nomophobia and the different network structure of nomophobia between males and females, which may inform component-based preventive programs.