NOMOPHOBIA AND PERSONALITY TRAITS

The aim of this study is to measure the nomophobia levels of high school students studying in the city center of Uşak and to examine the relationship between personality traits and nomophobia levels. The population of the study consists of high school students in Uşak city center, Turkey, while the sample group includes 200 high school students selected through a simple random sampling method from science high schools, teacher high schools, Anatolian high schools, and vocational high schools. The research was conducted using the survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. A personal information form, a nomophobia scale to measure technological addiction, and a ten-item personality scale to assess personality traits were utilized. To analyze the data, independent samples t-tests, parametric one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Tukey test for intergroup differences were applied. The findings indicate a statistically significant and inverse relationship between the "losing online connection" sub-dimension of the nomophobia scale (TNS) and both the "extraversion" sub-dimension and the overall score of the ten-item personality scale (TIPS). However, no statistically significant relationships were found for the other sub-dimensions of the TNS and TIPS. Additionally, no significant associations were identified between the subscales of the TNS and TIPS or between the overall TIPS score and the subscales of the TNS. The results of the study revealed that women exhibited higher levels of nomophobia than men, and that increased daily mobile internet and smartphone usage were associated with higher nomophobia levels. Furthermore, individuals who engaged in sports demonstrated higher scores in "agreeableness" and "emotional stability." It was also found that individuals' anxiety about "losing online connection" was inversely related to extraversion. However, variables such as phone usage duration, years of mobile internet usage, and time spent with friends during the day did not have a significant effect on personality traits or nomophobia levels.