Nomophobia, fear of being without a mobile phone, common among college students

The fear of not being in contact with a mobile phone — “nomophobia” — is extremely common among college students and is associated with poor sleep health, according to a new study.

Preliminary results show that 89 per cent of a sample of college students had moderate or severe nomophobia. Greater nomophobia was significantly related to greater daytime sleepiness and more behaviors associated with poor sleep quality.

“We found that college students who experience more ‘nomophobia’ were also more likely to experience sleepiness and poorer sleep hygiene such as long naps and inconsistent bed and wake times,” said lead author Jennifer Peszka, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.