Investigating the Relationship Between Excessive Use of Mobile Phones and Social Loneliness in the Student Community

Background: While the growth of communications and technology has provided opportunities in various fields, such as speeding up work and reducing distances, it can also pose a threat. Dependence on mobile phones can lead to a sense of loneliness and undesirable social support. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between excessive use of mobile phones and social loneliness in the student community. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted using cluster sampling on 384 students of Shahroud University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Data were collected using demographic information questionnaires, the Harmful Use of Mobile Phones Scale, and the Adult Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale. After collection, the data were entered into SPSS18 and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: The results showed that the total mean of the emotional and social loneliness questionnaire was 34.31 ± 8.98. An inverse relationship was observed in all areas of loneliness, except for family loneliness, with excessive use of mobile phones. Only the inverse correlation between excessive use of mobile phones and romantic loneliness was statistically significant. A positive and strong correlation was observed between excessive use of mobile phones and depression score. There was an inverse relationship between the social loneliness score and factors such as student age, educational level, marital status, birth order, mother's age and years of education, father's age, father's years of education, and excessive use of mobile phones. Additionally, there was an inverse relationship between excessive use of mobile phones and marital status with students' loneliness; as mobile phone use increased, the feeling of loneliness decreased, and as students' status changed from single to married, the feeling of loneliness also decreased. Conclusions: Given the relationship between some subgroups of social loneliness and demographic variables with mobile phone use, researchers and psychotherapists should control these factors to improve the quality of life and mental health of students.