Nomophobia and Its Association with Stress and Coping Styles among Undergraduate Students of a Medical College in New Delhi: A Brief Analysis

Abstract Background: Nomophobia or “No Mobile Phone” phobia is the fear of being detached from one’s own mobile phone. Smartphones have been proven to have numerous advantages in recent times. However, on their excessive use, it can have physical, psychological, behavioral, social, and affective effects. Since the younger generation are the latest buyers of the mobile phones, and the under-25-year age group in professional colleges like medical colleges use mobile phones quite frequently, this study was conducted to find out the prevalence of nomophobia and its association with the coping styles and the perceived stress in undergraduate medical students of a medical college in New Delhi. Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional study conducted for 3 months (November 2022–January 2023) on M. B. B. S students. A total of 200 students were selected by purposive sampling. The data was collected using questionnaires. Nomophobia was assessed through Nomophobia Questionnaire. Coping and stress were assessed using Brief Cope and Perceived stress scales, respectively. Data were collected and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS software Version 21 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, IBM Corp, USA). Results: The study was conducted on a total of 197 students undergraduate MBBS students. The prevalence of nomophobia was found to be 99.5% which was higher among females (56%) than males (44%). Among the students with mild (24%) and moderate nomophobia (60%), problem-focused coping mechanism was the most commonly used coping mechanism. Those with severe nomophobia (15%) were found to lean more toward emotion focused followed by problem-focused coping mechanism. A statistically significant association was found between nomophobia and perceived stress. Conclusions: Smartphones have many benefits when used for their intended purpose but when used in a problematic way and excessively, they can cause various problems. The higher prevalence of nomophobia among medical students is an issue of concern and has possibly affected their mental health. Strategies are to be devised on a priority basis for minimizing nomophobia among the medical students.