Čes-slov Pediat 2022, 77(6):356-361 | DOI: 10.55095/CSPediatrie2022/063

Nomophobia in pediatric populationOriginal Papers

Jana Chromá, Nikol Španihelová

Ústav ošetřovatelství a porodní asistence, Lékařská fakulta Ostravské univerzity, Ostrava

The term nomophobia was derived from the term 'NO MObile PHOne phoBIA', a phobia of breaking contact with a mobile phone.

Objective: The aim of the research was to determine the rate of nomophobia in children.

Methods: The research was carried out using quantitative research methodology. The standardised Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was used for data collection. The tools were used with the agreement of the authors and according to their precise methodology. Linguistic verification and pilot testing took place.

Results: The research population was 237 children. The results indicate that 47 % of children have mild nomophobia, 41 % moderate and 10 % of children have severe nomophobia. Analysis of the results showed that as the number of hours spent on a smartphone per day increases, so does the rate of nomophobia. The statistically negligible difference was between nomophobia in girls and boys, where girls had slightly higher nomophobia than boys. The age of respondents does not affect nomophobia. Children who have owned a smartphone for less than 4 years scored lower on the questionnaire (corresponding to lower nomophobia) than respondents who have owned a smart phone for 4 years or more. Cronbach alfa for the Czech version of dotaník is 0,942.

Conclusions: Time spent on a smart phone is related to the rate of nomophobia, so it is essential to educate both children and parents about the importance of reducing smartphone time using practical aids. The benefit for the prevention of nomophobia would be the use of the Czech version of the NMP-Q questionnaire during regular preventive inspections.

Keywords: adolescent, child, nomophobia, Nomophobia Questionnaire, NMP-Q, addiction, smartphone addiction

Published: December 8, 2022  Show citation