A study to evaluate mobile phone dependence among students of a medical teaching institute in Mumbai
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20205703Keywords:
Medical students, Mobile phone dependence, NomophobiaAbstract
Background: Mobile phone use has become such a significant part of the life of medical students that they do not realize their level of dependence on their cell phones. It is therefore imperative to identify the threshold where mobile phones cross the line from being a helpful tool to becoming one that enslaves the users. They need to be made aware of the harmful effects of excessive use of mobile phones and counseled about ways to avoid it. This study aims to assess the prevalence and pattern of mobile phone dependence among medical students.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among MBBS students of a medical teaching institute in Mumbai. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire (NMP-Q) was sent to all the students out of which 205 students responded and consented to participate in the study.
Results: Amongst all the study participants, 47.3% were males (97/205) and 52.7% were females (108/205). Mild Nomophobia was found in 19.04% students whereas 50.70% had moderate and 30.26% had severe Nomophobia. Amongst the males, 56.7% and 26.8% had moderate and severe Nomophobia, respectively while in females, moderate and severe Nomophobia was found to be 45.4% and 33.3%, respectively.
Conclusions: Mobile phone dependence is prevalent amongst medical students.
References
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, 2018. Available at: http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteRead Data/WhatsNew/Documents/PR-No=47.pdf. Accessed on 24 December 2019.
Dixit S, Shukla H, Bhagwat A, Bindal A, Goyal A, Zaidi AK, et al. A study to evaluate mobile phone de-pendence among students of a medical college and associated hospital of central India. Indian J Community Med. 2010;35(2):339–41.
Katharine B. Phone reliant Britons in the grip of nomophobia, The independent. March 31, 2008. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/ news/uk//life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/survey-suggests-half-of-britons-fear-being-without-their-mobile-8784706.html. Accessed on 24 December 2019.
Yildirim C, Correia AP. Exploring the dimensions of nomophobia: Development and validation of a self-reported questionnaire. Computers in Human Behavior. 2015;49:130-7.
Bajaj S, Maheshwari SK, Maheshwari PS. Prevalence of nomophobia among college students: An exploratory cross-sectional survey. Indian J Psy Nsg. 2020;17:29-32.
Kumari GK, Pasha MA. Prevalence of Nomophobia and Use of Social Networking Sites and Apps-A Cross Sectional Study among Undergraduate Medical Students in SRMC, Nandyal. IOSR-JDMS. 2019;18(5):31-4.
Kanmani A, Bhavani U, Maragatham RS. Nomophobia–An insight into its psychological aspects in India. Inter J Ind Psychol. 2017;4(2):5-15.
Dixit S, Shukla H, Bhagwat A, Bindal A, Goyal A, Zaidi AK, et al. A study to evaluate mobile phone de-pendence among students of a medical college and associ-ated hospital of central India. Ind J Community Med. 2010;35(2):339-41.
Sethia S, Melwani V, Melwani S, Priya A, Gupta M, Khan A. A study to assess the degree of nomophobia among the undergraduate students of a medical college in Bhopal. Int J Comm Med Pub Heal. 2018;5:2442-5.
Chandak P, Singh D, Faye A, Gawande S, Tadke R, Kirpekar V, et al. An exploratory study of nomophobia in post-graduate residents of a teaching hospital in Central India. Int J India Psychol. 2017;4(3):48-56.
Li M, Kang HS, Huang CY, Alaboud A, Tsai HH. Cell phone obsession: Impact on students learning and social behaviour. Available at: http://edujoacom.ipage.com/uploads/3/3/5/9/3359689/etec543-_research_project_11-26_submitted_should_eb_final_one.pdf. Accessed on 2020 Feb 12.
Jilisha G, Venkatachalam J, Menon V, Olickal JJ. Nomophobia: a mixed-methods study on prevalence, associated factors, and perception among college students in Puducherry, India. Ind J Psychol Med. 2019;41(6):541-8.
Thapa K, Lama S, Pokharel R, Sigdel R, Rimal SP. Mobile phone dependence among undergraduate students of a medical college of eastern Nepal: a descriptive cross-sectional study. JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2020;58(224):234-9.
Choudhury S, Saha I, Som TK, Ghose G, Patra M, Paul B. Mobile phone involvement and dependence among undergraduate medical students in a Medical College of West Bengal, India. J Educ Health Promot. 2019;8:1.
Mengi A, Singh A, Gupta V. An institution-based study to assess the prevalence of Nomophobia and its related impact among medical students in Southern Haryana, India. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020;9(5):2303-8.
Dasgupta P, Bhattacherjee S, Dasgupta S, Roy JK, Mukherjee A, Biswas R. Nomophobic behaviors among smartphone using medical and engineering students in two colleges of West Bengal. Indian J Public Health. 2017;61:199-204.
Sharma S, Brahmankar T, Vishwanath G. Evaluation of mobile phone dependence among the students of government medical college. East African Scholars J Med Sci. 2019;2:104-8.
Akanferri AA, Aziale LK, Asampana I. An empirical study on mobile phone usage among young adults in Ghana: From the viewpoint of university students. Int J Com Appl. 2014;98(5):15-21
Prasad M, Patthi B, Singla A, Gupta R, Saha S, Kumar JK, et al. Nomophobia: A cross-sectional study to assess mobile phone usage among dental students. JCDR. 2017;11(2):ZC34.
