Prediction of Nomophobia Based on Shyness, Loneliness and Anxiety in Shiraz Teenagers

Research Article

J Psychiatry Mental Disord. 2023; 8(2): 1068.

Prediction of Nomophobia Based on Shyness, Loneliness and Anxiety in Shiraz Teenagers

Zahra Dehghaniana; Fariba Tabe Bordbara*

Department of Psychology, Payamnoor University, Tehran, Iran

*Corresponding author: Fariba Tabe Bordbara Department of Psychology, Payamnoor University, Tehran, Iran. Email: TabeBordbar@pnu.ac.ir

Received: March 20, 2023 Accepted: May 09, 2023 Published: May 16, 2023

Abstract

Background: Various factors can be associated with nomophobia in teenagers due to their sensitive age during puberty. Establishing effective communication and social relations is one of the most important concerns for teenagers and young people.

Methods: The present applied study is conducted to predict nomophobia based on shyness, loneliness and anxiety among teenagers in Shiraz. This study is descriptive cross-sectional research in terms of method and time frame of data collection. This study’s statistical population includes the teenagers of Shiraz, among which 150 were randomly selected. Four standard questionnaires (shyness scale, loneliness scale, anxiety scale and nomophobia scale) were used to collect research data. Iranian researchers have already translated, localized and validated these questionnaires. The validity and reliability of all four questionnaires have been confirmed. The multiple regression method has been used to test the research hypotheses and predict nomophobia.

Results: The results have shown that shyness, loneliness and anxiety explain 36% of the variance of nomophobia scores. According to the results, shyness can positively and significantly predict nomophobia (p=0.001, β=0.362). Loneliness can also positively and significantly predict nomophobia (p=0.001, β=0.302). In addition, anxiety can also positively and significantly predict nomophobia (p=0.005, β=0.269).

Conclusions: Shyness generally had the strongest prediction, and anxiety had the weakest. In addition, the avoidance component can positively and significantly predict nomophobia. The shyness component in the presence of strangers can also positively and significantly predict nomophobia. Therefore, loneliness, anxiety and shyness can positively and significantly predict nomophobia.

Keywords: Nomophobia; Shyness; Loneliness; Anxiety

Introduction

The emergence of new technologies and their benefits for users has always been associated with disadvantages. Information and communication technology, especially smartphone technology, is among the technologies that have widely influenced society. All developed and developing countries have widely welcomed this technology; by 2020, more than 1.38 billion smartphones will be sold [31]. Due to the growing use of smartphones, not having a mobile phone has become a concern for many people, especially teenagers. Nomophobia is one of the emerging concepts in the "Pathology of Communication Phenomena literature." According to research, most people cannot live without a mobile phone, and more than half of mobile phone users suffer from a psychological disease called "nomophobia" [28]. "Nomophobia" is a disorder of excessive dependence on the mobile phone and the fear of losing it [30]. It also refers to the discomfort or anxiety experienced by people when they cannot use their mobile phone or its functions [15]; for example, fear of not being available, not having an internet line on the phone or running out of mobile battery. This complication has increased after the epidemic of mobile phones and social networks and the number of people using mobile phones [9].

Various factors can be associated with nomophobia in teenagers due to their sensitive age during puberty. Establishing effective communication and social relations is one of the most important concerns for teenagers and young people. This issue is even considered the main factor behind the current societies with others and their failure in different stages of life [4]. Shyness is a personality trait influenced by a person's relationships with society and others, and a person's self- concept is low. Shyness is a psychosocial phenomenon resulting from improper interpersonal relationships and Social maladaptation in the first stages of development at home and school. In other words, shyness is a social phenomenon characterized by anxiety in social situations or interpersonal behaviors caused by concern about interpersonal evaluation [23]. Shyness deprives a person of any effort and revolution and paralyzes him mentally and physically. Shyness cannot be a mental disorder because it consists of various disorders and abnormalities. Shyness sometimes occurs in childhood by parents and teachers' wrong education, destroying self-confidence in children and students [26].

A shy person usually loves himself less and finds himself passive and less lovable than non-shy people [10]. In addition, these people are rejected by their peers and get less chance to develop social skills. If shyness continues until adolescence and adulthood, these people find themselves alone with few friends and have little contact with the opposite sex [25]. Shyness is extremely widespread. In every society, a significant percentage of children, teenagers, young people and adults are shy for several reasons. Shyness in children and teenagers is much more than in adults [18].

Anxiety is another factor that can be related to nomophobia. Living in the last century has constantly adapted humans to adversity. Anxiety is the most common disorder due to incompatibilities [1]. Low anxiety is believed to be necessary for human and daily life, but high anxiety causes serious damage to the body, mind, social relations, job and education and deprives the person of an acceptable quality of health in life [14]. All human beings are engaged in this problem. Anxiety and lack of courage disrupt academic performance, destroy intelligence and learning abilities, and reduce abstract thinking and talent stagnation. In addition, it harms the individual, family and society by creating economic problems. Anxiety significantly suppresses the flourishing power of adolescent inner talents [8]. The therapists consider anxiety a reaction that can be significantly justified based on learning rules. Behavioral problems are viewed as patterns of inappropriate responses that are likely to be learned in association with aversive stimulus conditions. Behavioral problems are preserved because they are effective in helping a person to avoid adverse consequences. Anxiety is a common or core component of psychopathic behavior [24].

Anxiety or fear has an unpleasant effect and prevents a person from doing daily activities or leads to more limited and inconsistent behavior. Anxiety or fear is unpleasant and prevents a person from doing daily activities or leads him to a more limited and incompatible behavior. Some people believe that anxiety is a learned behavior. In addition, behavior therapists believe that anxiety and behavior are appropriate and the person has not learned the necessary answers in principle [14]. It is very important to diagnose and treat anxiety in children. Children with anxiety often develop symptoms into adulthood, such as generalized adult anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, and some somatized disorders in which there are multiple physical complaints without a medical reason [2].

Using phones and virtual networks is associated with criteria such as isolation, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. The phenomenon of loneliness has social causes and can be the subject of sociological research due to its social consequences. According to Green et al. (2001), loneliness results from the lack of a network of social relationships with friends and peers, networks of relationships built through social contacts. Loneliness is similar to what is called a "silent disease" in medicine. The alone people apparently do not suffer from illness, but loneliness can provide all kinds of psychological and social problems (including depression, suicide, low self-esteem, and social isolation) and disrupt the normal routine of life, especially in metropolises and cities with high population density [12].

Loneliness means the difference between our desired level and the existing level of people's social relationships, and the greater this difference, the greater the loneliness (Panahi et al., 2017). Researchers consider loneliness a psychological state caused by quantitative and qualitative inadequacies in social relationships. This feeling happens when exciting relationships are less than the desired level of a person or the required intimacy is not realized. This feeling can be occurred and be experienced at any age [21]. Loneliness refers to the experience caused due to the lack of social contacts, intimacy or support in relationships [29]. The feeling of loneliness is an experience resulting from failure to satisfy basic human needs in establishing intimate and close relationships [12].

Among teenagers, nomophobia has become an important psychological-social problem; for example, some students committed suicide due to not having a mobile phone during the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, identifying the antecedents of nomophobia is the first step in developing suitable intervention programs to reduce the feeling of nomophobia among teenagers. Due to the role of anxiety, the importance of loneliness, the role of mobile phones in today's life, and the lack of sufficient research on shyness among teenagers, the present study aimed to predict nomophobia based on shyness, loneliness and anxiety among adolescents in Shiraz.

Methods

In terms of purpose, this research is an applied study conducted to predict nomophobia based on shyness, loneliness and anxiety in teenagers of Shiraz city. This study is descriptive research in terms of data collection method, and in terms of the data collection period, it is survey-cross-sectional research. This study is one of the correlation projects in a predictive way that predicts nomophobia based on shyness, loneliness and anxiety in teenagers of Shiraz city. This study's statistical population included all Shiraz teenagers in 2019. One district was randomly selected from among the educational districts of Shiraz city. Two high schools for boys and girls were randomly selected referring to that area. In addition, 150 second-grade high school students were selected to conduct the research by referring to selected high schools based on the sample size. Three standard scales have been used to collect data. The standard scale of Cheek-Briggs (1990), including 14 items, was used to measure shyness. Rajabi and Abbasi (2009) have investigated and localized the Persian version's construct validity and reliability. The standard scale of Russell, Pepella and Ferguson (1978), including 20 items, was used to measure the feeling of loneliness. Monshaei et al. (2016) have investigated and localized the Persian version's construct validity and reliability. The standard scale of Beck and Brown (1988), including 21 items, was used to mea sure anxiety. Construct validity and reliability of its Persian version have been investigated and localized by Rafiei et al. (2013). Finally, the nomophobia scale (fear of life without a mobile phone) known as NMPQ (Nomobophobia Questionnaire) has been used. This scale was designed by Yildirim, Correia (2015), and Azadmensh et al. (2016), translated and validated in Iran.

The data obtained from the distribution and collection of questionnaires were analyzed with SPSS 23 software at two descriptive and inferential levels. Descriptive indices such as mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum of research variables are calculated at the descriptive level. In addition, at the inferential level, the multiple regression coefficients were used to check the predictive power of the predictor variables for the criterion variable, nomophobia.

Results

A sample of 150 people was used in this study. Table 2 shows the frequency of demographic variables of people by gender, age and mother's literacy. In terms of gender, both boys and girls from 50% of the participants. Regarding age, three age groups of 15, 16 and 17 years with a sample size of 50 people (33%) have been selected. In addition, 58% of the participants' mothers have less than a bachelor's degree, 25% have a bachelor's degree, and 17% have higher than a bachelor's degree.