NOMOPHOBIA AND ITS PREDICTORS AMONG UNIVERSITY STAFF MEMBERS

Abstract

Introduction: Nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia) is an alarming and emerging problem; it is a relatively new term that describes the growing fear and anxiety associated with being without a mobile phone. Aim of Work: To determine the prevalence and predictors of nomophobia among a sample of university staff members of Taibah University, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire that included socio-demographic, and occupational data, mobile phone usage characteristics, and a validated nomophobia questionnaire. Logistic regression was performed to find the predictors of moderate and severe nomophobia. Results: Among 102 participants; 86.3% used mobile phones for more than 10 years and 93.1% used the mobile for 2 hours or more per day. Making calls, social networking and academic purposes were the most common use of mobile phone among academic staff members and WhatsApp was the most commonly viewed social media (85.3%). Nomophobia level was divided between Moderate and Severe levels (47.1% and 44.1% respectively). Married participants, working for 8 hours or more a day, longer work duration, and spending 2 hours or more/day were significantly associated with Severe nomophobia (p-value 0.006, 0.02, 0.024, 0.000 respectively). The most significant nomophobia predictors were being married and spending 2 hours or more on the phone/day. Conclusion and Recommendations: This study reported a high prevalence of nomophobia among a sample of university staff members of Taibah University, Saudi Arabia. Awareness programs and interventions such as “mindfulness” or coping strategies are needed to prevent and treat this critical issue in educational institutions.