Prevalência da nomofobia entre acadêmicos de Enfermagem

Abstract

Introduction: Nomophobia refers to the psychological condition of the fear of being without the cell phone or being unable to use it, as a result of lack of Internet or absence of battery charge. In addition, nomophobia can be understood as the fear or anxiety of remaining disconnected. Objective: To verify the prevalence of nomophobia among university students in the health area of a private institution of higher education in the Federal District. Material and Methods: This was a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional research, through the application of two questionnaires: a sociodemographic and academic and; the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q-BR) validated in Brazil. The inclusion criteria of the research subjects were: Nursing students aged 18 years or older, enrolled regularly in the course, signed the Informed Consent Form and answered the questionnaire in its entirety. Results: Data collection occurred between the months of March and April 2023 and included the participation of 271 students, who were mostly female (82.3%), between 18 and 24 years (81.5%), self-declared white (58.3%), single (86.7%) and Catholic (41.0%). The research revealed that students had a moderate level of nomophobia (85.31 points). In addition, students in the fourth year of the course have scores and above the average (89.78 points compared to other students in the course. Conclusion: It was realized that there may be a correlation between the higher levels of nomophobia, the characteristics of Generation Z itself and the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusion: It is necessary to create listening and welcoming spaces in universities in order to minimize the losses that nomophobia can cause among university students, such as increased anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, emotional dependence and insecurity. This situation compromises both the social, family and academic goals.