This page was translated automatically from Turkish. Read the original

This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0111

The relationship between nomophobia and generalized anxiety disorder in a sample of young adults

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NOMOPHOBIA AND GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER IN A YOUNG ADULT POPULATION

The prevalence of nomophobia among young adults was 70%, and nomophobia severity showed a moderate positive correlation with anxiety symptoms (r = 0.387; p < 0.001).

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of nomophobia (the fear of being without a mobile phone) among young adults in Tunisia and to examine its relationship with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2024 among 350 young adults aged 18–35 years; data were collected using the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and the GAD-7 scale, analyses were performed using SPSS, and the significance level was set at p = 0.05. Of the sample, 66.29% were women and 33.71% were men; the mean age was 25.5 ± 4.67 years, 85.71% had a university education, 77.14% were single, and 70% lived in urban areas. The prevalence of nomophobia was 70%, with 22.8% of participants classified as having severe nomophobia, and the mean NMP-Q score was 72.98 ± 24.11. GAD was identified in 64.5% of participants, 47.43% had moderate to severe symptoms, and the mean GAD-7 score was 9.43 ± 5.12. A moderate, significant positive correlation was found between nomophobia and anxiety scores (r = 0.387; p < 0.001); independent predictors of co-occurring nomophobia and anxiety were heavy smartphone use (more than 4 hours per day), female sex, a personal psychiatric history, and being under 25 years of age. The authors recommend incorporating nomophobia screening into multidimensional mental health strategies, with an emphasis on prevention, early recognition, and education on balanced digital use; they emphasize that the cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation and that longitudinal studies are needed.

All WCP 2026 summaries