Nomophobia and Self-Esteem: A Cross Sectional Study in Greek University Students

Elissavet Vagka, Charalambos Gnardellis (), Areti Lagiou and Venetia Notara
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Elissavet Vagka: Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Department of Public and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 11521 Athens, Greece
Charalambos Gnardellis: Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, University of Patras, 30200 Messolonghi, Greece
Areti Lagiou: Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Department of Public and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 11521 Athens, Greece
Venetia Notara: Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Department of Public and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 11521 Athens, Greece

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Nomophobia is a relatively new term describing someone’s fear, discomfort, or anxiety when his/her smartphone is not available. It is reported that low self-esteem may contribute to an individual’s tendency for nomophobia. The aim of this particular study was to investigate the association between nomophobia and self-esteem among Greek university students. The study sample consisted of 1060 male and female university students aged 18 to 25 years, participating on a voluntary basis with an online anonymous questionnaire. Data were collected through “Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q)” and “Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale (RSES)”. All participants exhibited some level of nomophobia, with the moderate level prevailing (59.6%). Regarding self-esteem categories, 18.7% of the participants showed low self-esteem, while the rest showed normal/high levels. Students with low self-esteem were twice as likely to exhibit a higher level of nomophobia compared to those with normal/high (adj Cum OR = 1.99, p value < 0.001). Additionally, women and students having fathers without a university education had a higher risk of exhibiting a greater level of nomophobia (adj Cum OR = 1.56 and 1.44, respectively, p values ≤ 0.008). It was observed that low self-esteem and nomophobia are closely connected. Further investigation into this particular issue is needed to explore potential causality between them.

Keywords: nomophobia; self-esteem; nomophobia questionnaire; Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale; university students; smartphone (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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