Associations Between Loneliness Components and Nomophobia Among Allied Medical Sciences Students in Sari: A...

Nomophobia, the fear or anxiety of being without access to a mobile phone, has become increasingly common among university students due to the widespread integration of smartphones into daily life. Although previous studies have suggested a link between loneliness and nomophobia, evidence from Iranian Allied Medical Sciences Students remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between loneliness and the severity of nomophobia among students of the School of Allied Medical Sciences at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in Sari, Iran.

This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among undergraduate students (n = 248) during the first semester of the 2024 academic year. Participants were selected using proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) and the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q). Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, chi-square tests, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and simple linear regression were used for data analysis. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

A total of 248 students participated in the study. Overall, participants reported moderate levels of nomophobia and low-to-moderate levels of loneliness. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a weak but statistically significant positive correlation between loneliness and nomophobia (r = 0.156, p = 0.014). Simple linear regression demonstrated that loneliness was a significant predictor of nomophobia, explaining 2.4% of the variance (F(1, 246) = 6.12, p = 0.014, R ² = 0.024). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the overall model was statistically significant (F(13, 230) = 3.965, p < 0.001). Field of study (p = 0.005), marital status (p < 0.001), duration of smartphone use (p < 0.001), and frequency of smartphone checking (p = 0.021) emerged as significant predictors of nomophobia. After adjustment for these variables, loneliness remained an independent predictor of nomophobia (β = 0.149, p = 0.014).

Loneliness was identified as a significant, albeit weak, predictor of nomophobia among students of Allied Medical Sciences. Although loneliness contributed to nomophobia, the findings indicate that smartphone-related anxiety in this population is influenced by a broader combination of psychosocial, behavioral, and academic factors. Interventions aimed at reducing nomophobia should therefore adopt a multifaceted approach that promotes both students' psychological well-being and healthy smartphone use behaviors.