Nomophobia: How Postsecondary Students’ Attachment to Their Cellphone Impacts Their Mental Health
1
Sciences mathématiques et physiques, Faculté des sciences, Université de Saint-Boniface, Winnipeg, Canada
2
Sciences expérimentales, Faculté des sciences, Université de Saint-Boniface, Winnipeg, Canada
3
École de Psychologie, Faculté des sciences de la santé et des services communautaires, Université de Moncton, Nouveau-Brunswick, Canada
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
Introduction/
BACKGROUND:
Nomophobia, or the fear of being out of mobile phone contact, is an emerging public health concern. Since 2011, the literature has explored the negative impact of nomophobia on driving practices1, mental health2-4 and its indicators3,5 including self-esteem, sleep and depression. Our previous studies6 on student mental health demonstrate a significant rise in many mental health indicators including depression and suicidality since 2012, time at which personal phones and social media have become common among young adults. Our objectives were to 1) measure cellphone attachment for postsecondary students, 2) examine it association with mental health, and 3) explore the influence of sociodemographic variables on this relationship.
METHODS:
An online survey was administered to postsecondary students from four campuses in two Francophone Canadian universities in Manitoba and New Brunswick. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests and Anova analysis were used to compare the four campuses on self-reported mental health indicators, personal characteristics, Mental Health status and nomophobia score, classified into two categories7. Hierarchical multiple logistic regressions were conducted to explore the influence of nomophobia on mental health.
RESULTS:
Among the 751 participants, mostly women (mean age: 21 years), the average nomophobia score was 3.8, indicating a risk level. A significant proportion of participants (30%) scored as nomophobic and were more often female, of younger age, from rural regions, living with parents or from outside Canada. They displayed greater risk of depression, languishing mental health, sleep disturbances and poor body image. Conclusions and implications: Experiencing nomophobia seems to impact multiple domains of functioning in our current sample. Promotion of healthy cellphone use is recommended in postsecondary institutions as well as in high schools to reduce nomophobia. Strategies limiting cellphone use by eliminating notifications and diversifying activities could benefit youth. The impact of current legislation limiting cellphone use in schools should be explored.
Introduction/
BACKGROUND:
Nomophobia, or the fear of being out of mobile phone contact, is an emerging public health concern. Since 2011, the literature has explored the negative impact of nomophobia on driving practices1, mental health2-4 and its indicators3,5 including self-esteem, sleep and depression. Our previous studies6 on student mental health demonstrate a significant rise in many mental health indicators including depression and suicidality since 2012, time at which personal phones and social media have become common among young adults. Our objectives were to 1) measure cellphone attachment for postsecondary students, 2) examine it association with mental health, and 3) explore the influence of sociodemographic variables on this relationship.
METHODS:
An online survey was administered to postsecondary students from four campuses in two Francophone Canadian universities in Manitoba and New Brunswick. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests and Anova analysis were used to compare the four campuses on self-reported mental health indicators, personal characteristics, Mental Health status and nomophobia score, classified into two categories7. Hierarchical multiple logistic regressions were conducted to explore the influence of nomophobia on mental health.
RESULTS:
Among the 751 participants, mostly women (mean age: 21 years), the average nomophobia score was 3.8, indicating a risk level. A significant proportion of participants (30%) scored as nomophobic and were more often female, of younger age, from rural regions, living with parents or from outside Canada. They displayed greater risk of depression, languishing mental health, sleep disturbances and poor body image. Conclusions and implications: Experiencing nomophobia seems to impact multiple domains of functioning in our current sample. Promotion of healthy cellphone use is recommended in postsecondary institutions as well as in high schools to reduce nomophobia. Strategies limiting cellphone use by eliminating notifications and diversifying activities could benefit youth. The impact of current legislation limiting cellphone use in schools should be explored.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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