Mediating Effect of Anxiety/Depression Between Nomophobia and Disordered Eating Among Lebanese Young Adults: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Background and Aims: Disordered eating is characterized by abnormal eating habits leading to negative health effects. The goal of this study was to assess the mediating effect of depression and anxiety between nomophobia and disordered eating among a sample of Lebanese young adults. Methods: This cross-sectional mediation analysis was conducted between April and July 2024 on 397 participants, utilizing a snowball sampling technique. Current participants recruited future participants through social networks and personal contacts. Data was collected using a self-reported questionnaire that included several scales: Nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q) for nomophobia, Eating Attitude Test 7-item (EAT-7) for disordered eating, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) for generalized anxiety disorder, and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression. Results: The mean age was 22.22 ± 3.86 years, and 63.2% were females. The results of the mediation analysis showed that depression (indirect effect: Standardized Beta = 0.03; BootSE = 0.02; Boot CI 0.002; 0.07), but not anxiety (indirect effect: Beta = 0.0004; BootSE = 0.01; Boot CI -0.01; 0.01), partially mediated the association between nomophobia and disordered eating. Higher nomophobia was significantly associated with higher depression, whereas higher depression was significantly associated with more disordered eating. Finally, higher nomophobia was significantly associated with more disordered eating. The proportion mediated was 0.196, meaning that approximately 20% of the total association between nomophobia and disordered eating was accounted for by depressive symptoms. Conclusion: This study revealed a significant positive association between nomophobia and disordered eating, with depression as a mediating factor. Future investigations should dig deeper into understanding the causality of these associations, paving the way for preventive measures as well as effective treatments.