Abstract

NOMOPHOBIA AND ITS IMPACT ON UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Somya Thakan*, Aditya Mehta and Neeraj Raman

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Abstract

Background & Aims: Nomophobia, which is an abbreviation for "nomobile- phone-phobia," is also known as "cell phone addiction." The availability of smart phones can easily disrupt their concentration and learning process. To determine the smartphone usage pattern among undergraduates medical student. To assess the impact Of smartphone overuse among medical students. Materials & Methods: An Analytical cross-sectional study was carried out to determine internet usage pattern and its impact on medical undergraduates. The study was conducted over a period of 4 months at Jhalawar Medical College. Result: The gender composition of the study participants was mixed with Males participants being 500 (64%) and females participants being 281 (36%). Mean age of the participants was 21.67 years. 546 (70%) were normal users and did not show or manifest any sign of nomophobia, with 119 (15%) having mild nomophobia, 105 (13%) having moderate nomophobia and 11 (2 %) having severe nomophobia. We discovered that the majority of medical students suffered from pain text syndrome, followed by anxiety about checking their phones and relaunching apps if the app stopped working. Conclusion: Nomophobia is common among first-year medical students. It was found in 30% of study participants to some extent. Nomophobia is a major issue among professional course students.

Keywords: Nomophobia, Undergraduate, Internet, Cross-sectional.