Prevalence of nomophobia and its association with brain fog: a cross-sectional study among general population of Karachi

Abstract Introduction Nomophobia, or the fear of being without a mobile phone, has become a growing concern in the digital age. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of nomophobia and its association with brain fog among the general population of Karachi. Objectives To estimate the prevalence of nomophobia and brain fog among the general public of Karachi and to investigate the association between nomophobia and brain fog. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted among 390 participants, aged 18–60, selected through non-probability convenience sampling. The Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and Brain Fog Scale were used to assess nomophobia and brain fog, respectively. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26, employing chi-square tests and multiple linear regression with p < 0.05 considered significant and 95% confidence intervals. Results The prevalence of nomophobia was 99.5%, with 29.7% having mild nomophobia, 45.9% having moderate nomophobia, and 23.8% having severe nomophobia. The majority of participants reported cognitive symptoms of brain fog, such as being easily distracted (58.7%) and having difficulty concentrating (56.9%). Analysis revealed statistically significant associations between nomophobia levels and cognitive symptoms of brain fog, particularly being easily distracted (p = 0.022) and difficulty concentrating (p = 0.033). Among psychological symptoms, feeling detached showed a significant correlation with nomophobia severity (p = 0.009). Multiple regression analysis identified feeling detached as the only statistically significant predictor of nomophobia scores, though the model had limited explanatory power (9.7% variance). No significant associations were found between nomophobia and physiological symptoms of brain fog. Conclusion This study highlights the high prevalence of nomophobia and its association with brain fog among the general population of Karachi. The findings suggest that excessive mobile phone use may lead to cognitive decline and decreased productivity.