The smartphone, new mental health challenge: Prevalence of addiction and usage practices among Moroccan nursing students

Smartphones are now omnipresent in the daily lives of young people, particularly university students. However, excessive use of smartphones could create an addiction. This study aims to describe smartphone use practices by Moroccan nursing students and determine the prevalence and factors associated with smartphone addiction. The survey was conducted among Moroccan nursing students. Data was collected from 1067 smartphone users, through an online structured questionnaire. This questionnaire is divided into three parts: a) identification of participants, b) the SAS-SV scale and c) the use of the smartphone. The prevalence of smartphone addiction is 34.9%, 45.1% in males, and 32.3% in females. The average number of hours per day spent using the mobile phone was about 6.7 hours. 44.9% believe that the use of the smartphone has a negative effect on their state of health. In this study, the factors associated with smartphone addiction are gender (p=0.003), duration of use (p=0.000) as well as times of use in the morning (p=0.02) and evening (p=0.01). This study revealed a significant prevalence of smartphone addiction among the participants. It is therefore necessary to plan broader awareness programs on the possible early warnings and potential consequences of smartphone addiction.