The association between sociodemographic determinants and nomophobia among physiotherapists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Nomophobia is a psychological condition characterized by fear or anxiety resulting from being without access to a mobile phone. It is increasingly prevalent among healthcare professionals due to their high reliance on mobile technology. However, limited data exist regarding the prevalence and severity of nomophobia, specifically among physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia. The Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was administered via SurveyMonkey, targeting a convenience sample of physiotherapists between April 30 and June 27, 2023. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 28.0. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages. The Kruskal–Wallis H and Mann–Whitney U tests were employed to compare median NMP-Q scores across participant subgroups. A total of 1003 physiotherapists participated, with 579 (57.7%) females. The prevalence of nomophobia was 99.6%. The Kruskal–Wallis Test showed that the age group 51–60 years had the highest NMP-Q scores (Md = 99, x2 (4, N = 1003) = 57.31, p