Nomophobia in Adolescents: The Combined Roles of Attachment Styles, School Belongingness, and Life Satisfaction

Although previous studies have identified associations between insecure attachment styles and nomophobia (NMP), the underlying psychological mechanisms remain underexplored. Grounded in attachment theory, this study investigates the mediating roles of school belongingness and life satisfaction in the relationship between attachment styles and NMP in adolescents.

The study was conducted with 230 adolescents aged 12 to 18, recruited from a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic. Participants completed the Attachment Styles Scale in Interpersonal Relationships (ASSIS), Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), School Belongingness Scale (SBS), and Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS).

Mediation analysis revealed that anxious attachment was associated with increased NMP through decreased school belongingness (β = 0.036, p = 0.043) and reduced life satisfaction (β = 0.059, p = 0.014). Similarly, secure attachment was associated with lower NMP via higher school belongingness (β = -0.054, p = 0.037) and life satisfaction (β = -0.056, p = 0.013). Avoidant attachment was not significantly associated with NMP or the proposed mediators.

The findings suggest that adolescents' attachment styles influence NMP through their senses of school belongingness and life satisfaction. Designing school-based psychosocial initiatives that cultivate relational anchoring and perceived life coherence may provide a developmentally attuned avenue to buffer NMP risk, particularly in adolescents exhibiting anxious attachment style.