Predictors of Nomophobia and its Association with Personality Traits: A Cross-Sectional Survey among Undergraduates

Abstract

Mobile phones have revolutionized our lives and have become a need in today's life.However, for some people, they could be a source of stress. Nomophobia is a psychological condition in which individuals experience fear or anxiety if they do not have their mobile phones. The study objectiveswere to assess the levels of nomophobia in youth in relation to their demographic characteristics, to assess the correlation of nomophobia with personality traits; and to determine the predictive influence of personality traits on nomophobia. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at Riphah International University from March to October 2022. The sample size of 784 participants was raised using the convenience sampling technique. Two validated questionnaires, the 20-item Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and the 44-item Big Five Inventory (BFI) were circulated via Google form and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Results: The prevalence of nomophobia was 95.8% among students. 7.0% of students had a severe level of nomophobia, 53.1% had moderate nomophobia, and 35.7% of students had mild nomophobia. There was no significant difference in the nomophobia scores of males and females. The age group 21-23 years was observed to have the highest nomophobia scores. Neuroticism and openness scores were directly proportional to nomophobia scores (p<0.01).The results showed that neuroticism (β=0.295; t=8.055, p<0.001), extraversion (β=0.076; t=2.127, p=0.03) and openness (β=0.117; t=3.07, p=0.002) positively and significantly predict nomophobia. Conclusions: Nomophobia is a prevalent issue among youth affecting the majority of participants moderately and severely. Personality traits of a person, particularly neuroticism, affect nomophobia scores. Neuroticism is also the most significant predictor of nomophobia.