INTRODUCTION:

Technology’s changing power is beyond doubt. In addition, as its development increases, so does the speed with which it influences society.¹

For about a decade, the massive use of smart phones has changed our lifestyle in a way that is much more significant than what we could have imagined only 10 or 15 years ago.¹

For many people, mobile phones are not only essential tools in their daily lives, but rather, those have taken control of their time and their lives to such an extent that they have become a serious problem.¹

A phobia is by definition an irrational fear. In the case of nomophobia, the events that the user fears are not terribly unlikely, so that part of it isn't irrational. What is irrational is the degree of discomfort the users feel at the thought of being, in effect, separated from their smart phones.¹

Nomophobia is the irrational fear of being without your mobile phone or being unable to use your phone for some reason, such as the absence of a signal or running out of minutes or battery power.²

The word nomophobia is a portmanteau made up of no + mobile + phone + phobia. The term was created by YouGov, a research organization based in the United Kingdom. In a 2008 study, researchers reported that 53% of mobile users felt anxious when they were unable to use their mobile phones and over half of users never shut their phones off. Subsequent studies have found that the numbers have increased since then.²

Nomophobia is an important matter. Some studies have claimed that the feeling of anxiety, in the absence of a mobile phone, may affect about 50% of the population (though, within these symptoms, the severity might differ greatly among those who are affected). Furthermore, it is becoming an increasing problem since it specially affects young people, who have become used to this technology from their early ages and who are also more vulnerable, as they need the “social approval” provided by the continuous use of platforms like social networks. However, it is necessary to consider that no age is free of risk.¹

Like any other phobia, nomophobia can be perceived through common symptoms like fear, nervousness or anxiety, but it could also involve tachycardia, headaches, stomach ache or obsessive thoughts.¹

The causes of nomophobia tend to be fairly obvious. Frequently, addiction to mobile phones (really widespread nowadays, as you may already know) is the main cause, which makes someone be afraid of not having a false feeling of satisfaction, provided by compulsive phone consultation.^1.

However, we should not only think that nomophobia is the result of said addiction. Rather, it might conceal other problems, such as low self-esteem and difficulties to interact with others, other than interacting online.¹

What Are The Risk Factors Of Nomophobia

· Low credit on mobile account

· No service

· Lost mobile phone or just fearing that the phone could be lost or stolen.

· Fear of no mobile signs

· Broken or malfunctioning of mobile phone

· Running out of battery¹

Usual symptoms and signs of NOMOPHOBIA:

The below mentioned signs and symptoms are observed in Nomophobia cases

· Anxiety

· Respiratory alterations

· Trembling

· Perspiration

· Agitation

· Disorientation

· Tachycardia¹

How does nomophobia affect someone’s daily life?

We just have to take a look around to see how mobile phone addiction and nomophobia make people who suffer its effects to become sort of “slaves”.¹

In the first instance, nomophobia forces someone who is suffering from it to check their mobile phone constantly, to the point of neglecting other aspects of their life. Thus, it can have an impact on someone’s work, relationships and, in general, on any other aspect of the person’s life that may require attention.¹

But it doesn’t stop there. The anxiety generated by the idea of not having a mobile phone and the need to check it constantly can produce a widespread nervousness, which can increase dramatically in certain situations, to the point of conditioning someone’s life.¹

For example, someone who suffers from nomophobia may avoid travelling or going to areas where the broadband coverage might be poor, because that would force him to be “disconnected”. Or someone could miss the opportunity to go somewhere, because there is no close power source available to connect one’s device and might run out of battery. Bearing in mind our daily needs, the previous facts may become serious limitations for our day-to-day.¹

In addition, insomnia could cause harmful consequences. Some people even wake up on countless occasions during the night, in order to check that they still have connection and check the updates on their social networks, etc.¹

We cannot escape from the influence of modern technology in 21^st century. Day by day it is changing and due to technological advancement, new challenges are creeping up on a regular basis. The phobia due to technological advancement is also called Technophobia. In 1983, the first mobile phone was introduced in the market, now a days these instruments have become lifeline in most of the societies.³

According to Shambare et al. (2012), cell phones are “possibly the biggest non-drug addiction of the 21^st century”. Now a day's college students are spending more than 9 hours per day on their mobile phones, which leads to addiction. It is an example of “a paradox of technology” having both the property of freeing and enslaving. Freeing from the real world and enslaving to the virtual world.³

It is evident from surveys that young adults are more likely to be addicted from nomophobia (Secur Envoy study). The survey described that most of the teens (77%) reported anxiety when they were without their mobile phones. Scientists proposed certain psychological predictors for suspecting nomophobia in a person which are - “self-negative views, younger age, low esteem, self-efficacy, high extroversion/introversion, impulsiveness and sense of urgency and seeking”.⁴

It has been observed among students that low grade point average (GPA) and increased anxiety levels are correlated with frequent cell phone usage. The decrease in GPA among students may be due to distraction by the over-usage of mobile phones during class. Pressure for continually being connected to social (virtual) networks may increase anxiety as it leaves no time for relieving daily stress during solitude, which is an essential component of our well-being.⁵

As per study, 61% of people do check their smart phones after awakening in the morning.⁶

A mobile phone research study conducted in Australia examined the relationship between the participants’ frequency of mobile phone use and their psychological involvement with the use of Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire (MPIQ). Several psychological factors were assessed by the researchers that might influence participants’ mobile phone use.⁶

A moderate difference was observed between the participants’ psychological relationships with the mobile phones and their excessive mobile phone use. Though no pathological conditions were found, but signs of attachment were observed due to excessive use of mobile phones. Mobile phone dependency was found in another study conducted on adolescents and emerging adults as they might be going through a social identity crisis phase in their life.⁶

It is documented that victims of anxiety disorders and panic disorders were more vulnerable to nomophobia. A study in Brazil revealed that out 44% of participants from panic disorders group felt “secure” when they had their mobile phones. On the contrary, 46% of healthy group reported that they would not feel the same with no mobile phones. The study revealed that 68% of total participants reported mobile phone dependency. Participants with panic disorder reported significantly more emotional symptoms and dependency on mobile phones compared to the control group when their access to the mobile phone was restricted.⁷

A mobile phone dependence study among the medical graduates was conducted by Dixit et al. (2009). The study revealed that most of the (73%) students kept their mobile phones for 24 × 7 hours. 20% students responded that they became stressed when they do not have their mobile phones or its battery is drained. 38.5% students responded they keep on checking their mobile phones for messages and calls, repeatedly. About 56% students replied they feel secured when their phone is kept within their pocket.⁸

So what should we do to model a balanced approach for students?

· Be sure there are daily times you turn off the cell phone and experience either face-to-face conversations or solitude.

· Balance screen time and in-person time each week. For every hour you invest in front of a screen, you invest in human contact.

· Try a technology fast every month, where you actually go for a day or more without a computer, tablet or phone. You’ll feel liberated.

· Place your phone at least 15 feet away from you when you sleep at night. I realize you’ll have to get up to push “snooze,” but it’s safer this way.

· Block your day in time zones, where you spend time using technology, but also have blocks of time for organic, genuine interaction with people.⁹

How can someone cope with nomophobia?

As it is a grave condition, we must deal with nomophobia as what it really is: a serious problem. Therefore, the best procedure is seeking professional help, which will be helpful in order to overcome the situation.

However, we can consider some ideas to cope with nomophobia, which will not serve, in any way, as a replacement for professional recommendations:

· Find certain moments to disconnect.

It is an habit employed to get the brain used to the idea of having moments of disconnection, which are not only good, but necessary. Moments such as meals or, of course, sleeping hours, must be fully respected, completely disregarding the use a mobile phone.

· Make a distinction between real life and virtual life.

One of the main causes of nomophobia is the idea of giving a real-life experience a status, which may be equal or even greater than what we experienced in our “real” life.

However, we should understand that our “virtual life” is just a part of something greater: our real life.

· Put a limit on the information that you receive.

Are you addicted to reading notifications? Do you constantly wonder whether your contacts have read your messages? Frequently, messaging applications offer you the option to remove these features that can create so much anxiety. Use them, you don’t need to spend all day wondering about what someone else is doing.

· Use only the apps that you really need.

Installing an endless number of apps (especially social networks) on your mobile phone can be a total trap. While communication options multiply, the person suffering from nomophobia needs to feed their addiction even more. Therefore, not installing that many applications can be a good way to avoid the temptation.

Remember that technology is present in our lives to help us, not to turn us into slaves. That is why; using technology in a reasonable way will always be the smart choice. And if you are not able to do it by yourself, do not hesitate to ask for help.¹

The term, “NOMOPHOBIA,” was coined by the United Kingdom (UK) Post Office in 2008 during a study who commissioned YouGov, a UK-based research organization.¹⁰ The objective of that study was to evaluate the possibility of anxiety disorders occurred due to overuse of mobile phones. The study found that nearly 53% British who used mobile phones, pretend to be apprehensive when they “lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage”. That study also revealed that approximately 58% of male and 47% of female suffered from the mobile phone anxiety, and additionally 9% felt strained when their mobile phones were switched off. 55% of the participants agreed that they are not able to maintain connectivity with their dear and near one, which was the main reason for their phobia.¹¹On comparing the stress levels it was found that the anxiety level was at-par with those of “wedding day jitters.”¹¹

A study was conducted among undergraduate students in Health Services, found that out of 547 males, 23% of the students were labeled as nomophobic, while 64% students were at risk of developing nomophobia. Almost 77% students checked their cell phones more than 35 times per day.¹²

Another study revealed that more than 50% monophobias never switch off their mobile phones.¹³

What are the tips for preventing nomophobia?

· Turn off notifications.

· Find out how much you are using your phone.

· Daily scheduled time to turn off the cell phone.

· Encourage face to face conversation.

· Try a technology fast day without cell phone, tablets or computers.

· At sleep time, keep the phone at least 15 feet away from bed.

· Set up phone-free periods every day.

· Don’t use your phone as an alarm clock.

REFERENCE:

1. https://ehorus.com/nomophobia/

2. https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/nomophobia

3. Mick DG, Fournier S. Paradoxes of technology: Consumer cognizance, emotions, and coping strategies. J Consumer Res. 1998:123–43. [Google Scholar]

4. Bianchi A, Phillips JG. Psychological predictors of problem mobile phone use. Cyber Psychol Behav. 2005; 8:39–51. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

5. Lepp A. The relationship between cell phone use, academic performance, anxiety, and satisfaction with life in college students. Comput Hum Behav. 2014; 31:343–50. [Google Scholar]

6. Walsh SP. Needing to connect: The effect of self and others on young people's involvement with their mobile phones. Aust J Psychol. 2010; 62:194–203. [Google Scholar]

7. King ALS, Valença AM, Silva AC, Sancassiani F, Machado S, Nardi AE. “Nomophobia”: Impact of cell phone use interfering with symptoms and emotions of individuals with panic disorder compared with a control group. Clin Pract Epidemiol Mental Health. 2014; 10:28–35. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

8. Dixit S, Shukla H, Bhagwat AK, Bindal A, Goyal A, Zaidi A, et al. A study to evaluate mobile phone dependence among students of a medical college and associated hospital of central India. Indian J Community Med. 2010; 35:339–41. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Gorogle Scholar]

9. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/artificial-maturity/201409/nomophobia-rising-trend-in-students

10. Nomophobia. In: Wikipedia [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2019 Jan 25] Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nomophobia and oldid=879839860 .

11. Nikhita CS, Jadhav PR, Ajinkya SA. Prevalence of mobile phone dependence in secondary school adolescents. J Clin Diagn Res. 2015;9:VC06–9. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

12. Bivin JB, Mathew P, Thulasi PC, Philip J. Nomophobia-do we really need to worry about? Rev Prog. 2013; 1:1–5. [Google Scholar]

13. My Name is Mo R, and I am a Nomophobe. CBS News [Internet] cited 2019 Jan 25]. Available from: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/my-name-is-mo-r-and-i-am-a-nomophobe/

Received on 29.09.2020 Modified on 31.10.2020

Int. J. Nur. Edu. and Research. 2021; 9(1):115-119.

DOI: 10.5958/2454-2660.2021.00029.6