The Impact of Nomophobia, Stress, and Loneliness on Smartphone Addiction among Young Adults during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Israeli Case Analysis

Abstract

Technological development in recent times has dramatically changed the way people live, interact with, and consume information. Since the emergence of the first iPhone in January 2007 until today, mobile phones are used daily for a range of purposes. Using mobile phones for various purposes intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic due to isolation or government lockdown regulations. However, along with the advantages of smartphone usage there are many disadvantages such as smartphone addiction and continuous exposure to digital screens, behaviors known as PSU—problematic smartphone use. This study explores the impact of several variables on PSU: loneliness, the need for social interaction, sleep hours, fear of losing phone access (nomophobia), and stress among young adults in Israel. The variables are examined with respect to two time periods: 1. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns (defined as “T1”) and 2. Following the end of the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns (defined as “T2”). The results indicated that nomophobia, social affiliation, and sleep hours affect PSU. In addition, the indirect effect of the number of sleep hours on stress and PSU was found to be significant in T2 and in T1. The findings and their implications are discussed.

Social support as a mediator in the relationship between perceived stress and nomophobia: An Investigation among Malaysian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Hence the second hypothesis was rejected. Our finding was in contrast with previous studies which found that social support was negatively associated with nomophobia (Shirani, 2017 ; Zhou et al, 2021 ; Zwilling, 2022 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, non-face-to-face contact through social media use was one of the methods to increase social support (Chen et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ).…”

Impulsivity and Depressive Brooding in Internet Addiction: A Study With a Sample of Italian Adolescents During COVID-19 Lockdown

“…The loneliness of remaining at home during the COVID-19 epidemic may have prompted teens to utilize mobile phones for amusement in order to alleviate the psychological feeling of isolation ( 118 , 119 ). Both social loneliness (lack of intimate connections with others) ( 120 ) and emotional loneliness (which originates from not frequenting social circles) can generate unpleasant feelings toward oneself, such as despair and melancholy, which may cause people to overuse cell phones as a method of building relationships, satisfying the desire to belong, and mitigating negative feelings that arise from difficult circumstances ( 121 ).…”

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.…”