The association between nomophobia and loneliness among the general population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Nomophobia progresses through phases (initiation, affirmation, need, and dependency), similarly to addiction, and manifests in a variety of ways, including socially, physiologically, and physically. The objective of the study is to examine the association between nomophobia and feelings of loneliness among a sample of the general population from the KSA. Data were gathered between 5 March and 5 April 2022 using a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design. Five hundred twenty-six participants make up the sample for this study. The information is gathered using a sociodemographic data sheet, Internet usage profiles, a nomophobia questionnaire, and the Loneliness Scale. Results: The majority of people in the study sample use the Internet for between 4 and 9 h, most immediately in the morning, on waking, for gaming, and for social communication. For nomophobia levels among the study population, the highest percentage is for a moderate level of nomophobia, with the highest means being for factor 1 (unable to communicate), followed by factor 4 (giving up convenience). They also have a moderate level of loneliness. Conclusions: The multivariate analysis shows that the total loneliness score is strongly and positively correlated with the total nomophobia score and its four factors and the duration of daily mobile Internet use. There are also negative correlations with age and education level. Additionally, the overall nomophobia score has an inverse relationship with income level and age, but a high relationship with the frequency of daily mobile Internet use. The study suggests that there is a need for psychoeducation for a variety of sociodemographic groups to raise awareness about the psychological repercussions of nomophobia, practices that will help to reduce the time spent online for arbitrary reasons, to discover new and entertaining ways of communicating with each other.