Prevalence and severity of nomophobia among university students in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Abstract

Nomophobia—short for “no mobile phone phobia”—is an emerging psychological phenomenon characterized by fear or anxiety associated with being without access to a mobile phone. Evidence regarding nomophobia among university students in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq remains limited. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of nomophobia among undergraduate students and to examine differences in nomophobia scores across selected demographic and academic characteristics. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 362 undergraduate students at Koya University, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, using convenience sampling. Data were collected over a nine-month period, from February to November 2024, during the 2023–2024 academic year. Data were gathered using the validated Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q), a 20-item instrument assessing four dimensions: not being able to access information, giving up convenience, not being able to communicate, and losing connectedness. Responses were recorded on a seven-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t -tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Welch’s ANOVA when the homogeneity-of-variance assumption was violated, and Tukey’s post hoc test where appropriate. Effect sizes were reported using Cohen’s d and eta-squared (η²). The mean overall nomophobia score was 87.58 (SD = 24.48), which falls within the moderate range of the NMP-Q classification. Most students experienced moderate (51.7%) or severe (34.5%) nomophobia, whereas mild (13.0%) and absent (0.8%) levels were less common. No statistically significant differences in nomophobia scores were observed according to gender, academic discipline, academic year, or place of residence. A statistically significant difference was observed across the six academic faculties, F (5, 356) = 4.071, p = 0.001, η² = 0.054. Engineering students and physical education and sport sciences students had significantly higher mean nomophobia scores than humanities and social sciences students. Nomophobia was common among the undergraduate students included in this study, with most participants experiencing moderate or severe levels. Significant differences in nomophobia scores were observed across academic faculties, whereas no statistically significant differences were found according to gender, academic discipline, academic year, or place of residence. These findings support the importance of promoting digital well-being and responsible smartphone use within university settings while recognizing the limitations of a single-university, cross-sectional study. Further multicenter and longitudinal studies incorporating behavioral and psychological factors are recommended.