An Evaluation of the Association Between Digital Addiction and Academic Self-Efficacy within Nursing Faculty Students

Aim: This study aimed to examine the relationship between digital addiction and academic self-efficacy. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 280 students studying at Bozok University Faculty of Health Sciences from October 2, 2023, to September 1, 2024. The Student Information Form, Digital Addiction Scale, and Academic Self-Efficacy Scale were used to collect data. Results: 53.9% of the participants were female. The mean Academic Self-Efficacy Scale was 10.82±1.60. There is a significantly negative relationship between the academic self-efficacy scale and the digital addiction scale and its subscales. It is observed that there is a statistically significant difference in the daily life impact subscale scores of participants according to their ages (p<0.05). Bonferroni correction was applied to identify the group that caused the difference. It is observed that there is a statistically significant difference in the scores of the game subscale, social media subscale, daily life impact subscale, and digital addiction scale based on the participants' gender (p<0.05). Conclusion: As the levels of digital addiction among nursing students increase, their academic self-efficacy levels decrease. When examined in terms of gender, the impact of gaming addiction and digital addiction on daily life is higher among male students compared to female students. In female students, however, the levels of social media addiction are higher than those of male students.