Mediating role of dysfunctional obsessive beliefs in the relationship between attachment styles and nomophobia in nursing students

Introduction: Nomophobia, defined as the fear and anxiety of being without mobile phone access, has become an increasing concern in today’s world, particularly among students. Aim: The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of dysfunctional obsessive beliefs in the relationship between attachment styles and nomophobia among nursing students. Method: A descriptive-correlational study using structural equation modeling was conducted. A total of 358 nursing students (322 women and 36 men) from the universities in Tehran were selected through convenience sampling method during the academic year 2023-2024. Participants completed online questionnaires assessing nomophobia, Collins and Reed’s attachment styles, and dysfunctional obsessive beliefs. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 27 and AMOS 24 softwares. Results: The results indicated that insecure attachment styles were significantly and directly associated with dysfunctional obsessive beliefs (P<0.001, β=0.581) and with the level of nomophobia (P<0.001, β=0.39). Furthermore, dysfunctional obsessive beliefs were significantly and directly related to the level of nomophobia (P<0.001, β=0.27). Additionally, dysfunctional obsessive beliefs played a mediating role in the relationship between attachment styles and nomophobia among nursing students (P<0.01, β=0.157). Conclusion: Based on the findings, the interventions targeting insecure attachment styles and dysfunctional obsessive beliefs in healthcare settings can reduce the level of nomophobia among nursing students. This improvement may lead to better academic progress and enhanced quality of healthcare services provided by this group.