A study on patterns of use of mobile phone and nomophobia in medical undergraduate students during a COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

Abstract

IntroductionThe governments of various countries enforced a lockdown to contain the COVID -19 pandemic. As the colleges remain closed, the academic teachings for students was conducted online. The mobile phone remained the main source for academics and entertainment during this period.ObjectivesTo assess patterns of use of mobile phone by Medical Undergraduate students prior to and during the COVID-19 lockdown. To assess Nomophobia among same participants.MethodsThis study was done by an online survey method after obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. A validated questionnaire on patterns of mobile phone use and the Nomophobia Questionnaire(NMP-Q) was completed by the medical students (n=187) who consented to participate in the studyResultsPrior to the pandemic lockdown, 52.9% of the participants used the mobile phones for 2-4 hours per day with 78% of the usage in social media. During lockdown, 89.3% of the participants reported an increase in the usage of mobile phones. 35.65% reported an increase in use by 2-4 hours everyday. About 30.5 % used the mobile phone for 6-8 hours per day. 80.2 % reported a maximum usage for social media. 59.45% reported a maximum usage for online academics. 33.7% frequently checked their phones once in 15 minutes. About 60.43% of the participants were in the moderate and 21.4% in the severe category of nomophobia.ConclusionsThere is an increase in mobile phone usage during the lockdown with a significant proportion of students in the moderate and severe category of nomophobia.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Effects of Difficulty in Handling Emotions and Social Interactions on Nomophobia: Examining the Mediating Role of Feelings of Loneliness

“…Various studies have been conducted during the global health crisis on nomophobia: For instance, Bhatnagar et al (2021) assessed nomophobia prior to and during the COVID-19 lockdown, reporting an increase of smartphone overuse during the pandemic restrictions, with a significant proportion of participants with moderate to severe nomophobic symptoms, whereas Sui et al (2022) indicated that nomophobic symptoms tend to be stable when compared with pre-pandemic data; also, Zwilling (2022) showed that nomophobic levels, along with their repercussions on problematic smartphone use, increased from the beginning of the first COVID-19 wave (T1) to the end of the COVID-19 lockdown (T2), highlighting how the addictive outcomes endure longer, even when the pandemic was less widespread; further, Nguyen et al (2022) investigated the effects of nomophobia on stress, also testing the indirect path through loneliness, indicating that the perception of feeling lonely may increase stress in individuals who show nomophobic symptoms.…”