Healthc Inform Res.  2023 Jan;29(1):40-53. 10.4258/hir.2023.29.1.40.

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

• Tuco KG
• Castro-Diaz SD
• Soriano-Moreno DR
• Benites-Zapata VA

• KMID: 2539397
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2023.29.1.40

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%; I² = 95.3%), that of moderate nomophobia was 56% (95% CI, 53%–60%; I² = 91.2%), and that of severe nomophobia was 17% (95% CI, 15%–20%; I² = 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.

Keyword

Technology Addiction, Universities, Students, Prevalence, Meta-Analysis

Figure

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  Figure 1 Flow diagram summarizing the process of the literature search and selection.

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  Figure 2 Prevalence of mild nomophobia in university students. ES: effect size, CI: confidence interval.

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  Figure 3 Prevalence of moderate nomophobia in university students. ES: effect size, CI: confidence interval.

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  Figure 4 Prevalence of severe nomophobia in university students. ES: effect size, CI: confidence interval.

Reference

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