Nomophobia and Adolescent Social Isolation in a Rapidly Transforming Cultural Context: Evidence From Kyrgyzstan

This study investigates the association between nomophobia and social isolation among 465 adolescents aged 13-17 in Kyrgyzstan, a society experiencing rapid cultural and digital transformation. Digital dependence was operationalised using the Nomophobia Questionnaire, and social isolation was measured through a validated self-report scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that higher levels of nomophobia were significantly associated with greater social isolation (β = 0.31, p < 0.001), explaining approximately 10% of the variance in isolation scores after controlling for demographic variables. Gender, number of close friends and primary communication mode were also associated with social isolation, whereas age and school grade were not significant predictors. The findings suggest that nomophobia is meaningfully associated with adolescents' perceived social connectedness in transitional cultural settings. Implications for school-based prevention strategies and youth-focused digital literacy interventions are discussed.