Investigation of The Relationship of Nomophobia with Alexithymia, Anxiety, and Depression in Medical Students

Aim: This study aimed to examine the relationship between nomophobia, alexithymia, anxiety, and depression, which are becoming increasingly common, especially among university students.Material and Methods: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted among medical students of our faculty. Between December 2022 and February 2023, a 9-question sociodemographic form, the Nomophobia Questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were administered to 639 students studying at our university. The statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05.Results: The mean age was 21.84 years, and 58.4% were female. Of the participants, 0.6% had no nomophobia, 29.3% mild, 53.1% moderate, and 17.1% extreme. Of the participants, 27.1% were alexithymic, 76.8% were mildly anxious, and 33.3% were mildly depressed. There was a positive correlation between levels of nomophobia and alexithymia, anxiety, and depression (p<0.01).Conclusion: Most students exhibited nomophobia, with moderate nomophobia affecting more than half. As the level of nomophobia increased, alexithymia, anxiety, and depression levels were also found to slightly increase. Nomophobia poses a risk to the entire community, and especially to young adults. Therefore, awareness of this issue among preventive healthcare providers, particularly family physicians and all relevant specialists, is extremely important.