Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of nomophobia in university students.
Methods: A systematic search was conducted of the following databases: Web of Science/ Core Collection, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Ovid/ MEDLINE until March 2021. Cross-sectional studies reporting the prevalence of nomophobia in undergraduate or postgraduate university students that assessed nomophobia with the 20-item Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) tool were included. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were performed in duplicate. A meta-analysis of proportions was performed using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using sensitivity analysis according to the risk of bias, and subgrouping by country, sex, and major.
Results: We included 28 cross-sectional studies with a total of 11,300 participants from eight countries, of which 23 were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of mild nomophobia was 24% (95% confidence interval [CI], 20%-28%; I2 = 95.3%), that of moderate nomophobia was 56% (95% CI, 53%-60%; I2 = 91.2%), and that of severe nomophobia was 17% (95% CI, 15%-20%; I2 = 91.7%). Regarding countries, Indonesia had the highest prevalence of severe nomophobia (71%) and Germany had the lowest (3%). The prevalence was similar according to sex and major.
Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of moderate and severe nomophobia in university students. Interventions are needed to prevent and treat this problem in educational institutions.
Keywords: Meta-Analysis; Prevalence; Students; Technology Addiction; Universities.