FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SMARTPHONE ADDICTION IN NURSING STUDENTS

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the factors associated with smartphone addiction in nursing students. Method: a descriptive, correlational and quantitative study, conducted in two public universities in the Northeast of Brazil, from April to June 2019. Four instruments were used for the purpose of data collection: sociodemographic characterization, Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI) scale. Results: the majority of nursing students were female, 239 (80.2%), and had an average age of 22 years. One hundred and sixty-five (55.4%) declared themselves brown, 236 (79.2%) only studied and 11 (37.2%) had one to two minimum wages as family income. Regarding marital status, 277 (93.0%) were single and 168 (56.4%) lived with their parents. Two hundred and two (67.8%) did not practice physical activity and 269 (90.3%) had never smoked or smoked for less than one month. The overall prevalence of smartphone addiction in nursing students was 142 (47.7%). The factors associated with smartphone addiction in nursing students were: AUDIT (p=0.036), overall PSQI score (p <0.001), sleep quality (p=0.008), sleep latency (p=0.001), medication use (p=0.050) and daytime dysfunction (0.000). Conclusion: there is a need to develop educational interventions for rational use of the smartphone inside and outside universities and to develop public policies for health promotion and prevention of related comorbidities.