Determination of Nomophobia Levels of Department of Surgery Services Students During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the nomophobia levels of the students in the department of surgery services during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Method: The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 106 students studying in the Department of Surgery Services at a university in the Western Black Sea Region in the 2020-2021 academic year. Data were collected with the "Personal Descriptive Information Form" and the "Nomophobia Scale". Results: The mean age of the students participating in the study was 20,02±1,10, 87,7% of students were female, all of students were single, and 58,5% were first year students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 92,5% of the students stated that there was an increase in the daily phone usage time, and 73,6% stated they were uncomfortable with this increase. It was determined that the total score of the students on the Nomophobia Scale was 83,14±26,82, the highest score among the sub-dimensions was the inability to communicate (27,61±10,48), and 51,9% of students had moderate nomophobia. Conclusions: Although there has been an increase in the duration of smartphone use during the COVID-19 pandemic period, it has been determined that students are moderately nomophobic, most of them use smartphones during the day, and using smartphones harms their lives. It is recommended to plan interventions in order to be aware of the fact that students are at a higher risk of nomophobia during the pandemic process and to prevent phone addiction.