Prevalence of Nomophobia in University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of nomophobia in university students.Methods: A systematic search was conducted of the following databases: Web of Science/ Core Collection, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Ovid/ MEDLINE until March 2021. Cross-sectional studies reporting the prevalence of nomophobia in undergraduate or postgraduate university students that assessed nomophobia with the 20-item Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) tool were included. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were performed in duplicate. A meta-analysis of proportions was performed using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using sensitivity analysis according to the risk of bias, and subgrouping by country, sex, and major.Results: We included 28 cross-sectional studies with a total of 11,300 participants from eight countries, of which 23 were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of mild nomophobia was 24% (95% confidence interval [CI], 20%–28%; I<sup>2</sup> = 95.3%), that of moderate nomophobia was 56% (95% CI, 53%–60%; I<sup>2</sup> = 91.2%), and that of severe nomophobia was 17% (95% CI, 15%–20%; I<sup>2</sup> = 91.7%). Regarding countries, Indonesia had the highest prevalence of severe nomophobia (71%) and Germany had the lowest (3%). The prevalence was similar according to sex and major.Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of moderate and severe nomophobia in university students. Interventions are needed to prevent and treat this problem in educational institutions.

Prevalence of Nomophobia and Its Impact on Academic Performance Among Respiratory Therapy Students in Saudi Arabia

“…The prevalence nomophobia among university students globally is 100%. 24 Jilisha et al conducted a study in 2019 among Indian undergraduate students and reported that around 98% of undergraduate students experienced nomophobia, with the majority experiencing moderate nomophobia. 25 Additionally, Qutishat et al reported that out of 740 university students in Oman, 99% experienced nomophobia, with 65% experiencing moderate nomophobia.…”

The effect of emotion regulation strategies on nomophobia in college students: The masking role of resilience

“…This is comparable to the prevalence rates reported in other countries [ 28 ]. A recent systematic review also showed a high prevalence of mild to moderate nomophobia [ 15 ]. A study in Lebanon showed that 1089 (48.3 %) participants had moderate nomophobia, while 349 (15.5 %) had severe nomophobia [ 56 ].…”

“…A 2023 systematic review summarising 23 papers from 8 countries with approximately 11,300 participants showed that the prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe nomophobia was approximately 24 %, 56 % and 17 %, respectively [ 15 ]. The highest prevalence occurred in the university students population (97.38 %), among other groups, including the general adults, community adolescents and high school student [ 16 ].…”

Nomophobia (No Mobile Phone Phobia) and Psychological Health Issues among Young Adult Students

“…In this context, nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia) is considered a modern age-specific anxiety for not being able to communicate, for losing connectedness, for not being able to access information, and for giving up convenience [ 1 ]. The literature is not consistent as regards the wording and the underlying theoretical psychological concepts, in that some are talking about nomophobia [ 1 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ], while some claim that excessive smart phone use is considered a smart phone addiction [ 5 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 29 , 30 ] or problematic or excessive smart phone use [ 6 , 11 , 31 , 32 ]. Further, to make the point in the case, nomophobia and excessive smart phone use were associated with higher scores for emotional loneliness and insomnia among a sample of 773 students (mean age: 25.95 years; 59.6% females) [ 29 ].…”